As a student at Penn College, Nate served as a presidential student ambassador, a resident assistant, and a freshman orientation leader. In the evenings, he taught welding safety classes in The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College and volunteered as a mentor at a local children's center. And he was also the President of the Campus Crusade for Christ, a popular student-run organization. Today Nate is sharing his talents with the next generation as a Welding Trades Teacher at the Milton Hershey School.
The neat thing about welding is how “niche” it seems, but how broad it really is. From the outside looking in, welding is mysterious. The tools and techniques we learn about in the welding shop are totally alien to most of my students. Coming in, kids are scared of loud grinders and oxy-acetylene flame and high voltage. But once students get “inside” the industry through learning skills and conquering fears, they realize how many opportunities there are for them to succeed. It’s a bit like the closet that leads to Narnia.
I love guiding students from zero knowledge of the field, to loving it and having some marketable skills. Learning a difficult skill in a super hands-on (and hot, sweaty and loud) environment also dredges up unique opportunities for students to build character. Confronting anger issues, pushing kids to persevere, challenging them to work HARD. That’s the stuff I really love doing because it will benefit students no matter what career they go into.
I had one student who started out very skiddish. Fire startled him. Grinding sparks were too much. About half way through the semester he started coming to open shops and admitted that welding had become his favorite class.
Real Skills. Penn College loaded me up with a good “starter-kit” of technical skills and knowledge to prepare me for engineering, hands-on welding, and teaching. And, exposure to excellent teaching. At Penn College, I got to sit under some of the best teachers of my life. Ryan Good, Jeff Vetock, John Maize, just off the top of my head. And not just in welding either! I had some of the best in physics, statics, and professional writing, too. As a teacher now, I think back to some of the effective methods and styles those teachers used and try to bring them to my classroom.
Be curious and tenacious. Don’t just settle for the learning that happens during class. Sniff out every opportunity possible to explore your hobbies and interests outside the classroom. There are tons, and they’re usually free. Shameless plug—my faith and life focus grew a ton through CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). Get to know the city of Williamsport, the people, and the natural areas. Befriend your instructors and ask to hang in the shop outside of class. Get a parttime job. The list goes on. And, steer away from drinking— if you’re just going to party college away it’s a big waste of money. You can do that for free without going to college.
When I was in school (and even to this day) I felt welcome to walk down the welding faculty hallway and talk to my instructors about anything. I know they have my back and are as excited about my success as I am. This type of environment is hard to find, and has provided the soil for almost every aspect of my career to grow.
“My four years at Penn College were a wild joy. I spent more than 1,200 hours in the welding lab, which now consists of more than 55,000 square feet, thanks in part to corporate support. Now, I love guiding students from zero knowledge of the field, to loving it and having some marketable skills.”
When Penn College's upgraded and expanded 55,000-plus square feet welding lab was dedicated, students, faculty, and industry partners gathered to celebrate one of the largest facilities of its kind in higher education. Nate was selected to address the crowd. “The people in our lives matter far more than welding ever will,” he told the audience. “The things we create will melt and rust and fail. But the way we influence those around us has the potential to affect generations to come.”
The Dr. Welch Workshop represents a combination of design, engineering, fabrication and education, where students can produce multidisciplinary projects in a dynamic learning setting. Makerspaces are collaborative learning centers with equipment and tools to dream, create and innovate in a community environment. Watch Nate show you around.
“The thing that excites me most about Cambridge Vacuum Engineering’s electron beam welder is that it will raise the bar, academically, for Penn College welding students. To gain a mastery of any process, it's important to understand how that process works. Well, with EB welding, there are some exciting physics principles involved that I think will push students outside of their critical-thinking ‘comfort zones’ – and that's where real learning happens!” – Nataniel H. Lyon, ‘20
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