Ecotech Institute,the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in clean technology and sustainability, will hold its second-ever graduation today, Monday, September 24, 2012 at The Summit Conference and Event Center in Aurora, CO. Forty-four graduates, including six military veterans, will cross the stage. They will receive associate’s degrees in Wind Energy Technology, Solar Energy Technology, Renewable Energy Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology.
This group of graduates, in addition to the first graduating class, makes up the students who began coursework in a temporary facility before Ecotech’s campus was completed.
“We take pride in our visionary students, the people who believed in Ecotech before we had elaborate lab equipment and a LEED-certified campus,” said Mike Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “These students shared our vision and will soon receive their diploma, arming them for success in the vast world of green jobs.”
Ecotech hosted its first graduation on June 20, 2012 and approximately 90 percent of graduates are now working in cleantech positions around the country, including Hawaii.
All Ecotech students develop soft skills (communication, workplace etiquette), and math and science basics and technology skills, but the educational emphasis is on hands-on, practical training. Ecotech’s prestigious national board of advisors, who serve as academic and business leaders in cleantech industries, helped design the school’s practical curriculum.
“It feels good knowing that I now have an advantage above others who are also pursuing this career, but who don’t have the technical training I received at Ecotech,” said Joe Kellogg, who is graduating with a degree in Solar Energy Technology. “I absorbed an abundant knowledge in each class from the best instructors and have the tools to be successful.”
The September 2012 graduating class is made up of students from 10 states and Mexico. Listed below are their hometowns, names and degree programs:
Alabama
Jackson’s Gap
• Jason Chesnutt, Wind Energy Technology
Colorado
Aurora
• Tumu Johnson, Electrical Engineering Technology
• David Shannon, Electrical Engineering Technology
• Clint Turner, Wind Energy Technology
• Mark Westrate, Solar Energy Technology
Boulder
• Nicholas Dotter, Electrical Engineering Technology
Broomfield
• Joshua Schaefer, Solar Energy Technology
Colorado Springs
• Deiyung Downey, Wind Energy Technology
• Matthew Morin, Solar Energy Technology
Denver
• Steve Appling, Wind Energy Technology
• Jacob Bratsky, Electrical Engineering Technology
• Chris Horn, Wind Energy Technology
• Thanos Hunt, Renewable Energy Technology
• Joe Kellogg, Solar Energy Technology
• Alejandro Mesa, Electrical Engineering Technology
• Brett Oakes, Renewable Energy Technology
• Esteban Orl, Wind Energy Technology
• Ty Simpson, Renewable Energy Technology
• Joshua Stoppel, Solar Energy Technology
• Josh Yaeger, Electrical Engineering Technology
Divide
• Matt Vetis, Solar Energy Technology
Henderson
• Gil Negron, Solar Energy Technology
Littleton
• Edward Buess, Wind Energy Technology
• Kent Mortensen, Wind Energy Technology
Morrison
• Sean Johnston, Renewable Energy Technology
Nederland
• Nathan Baumhover, Renewable Energy Technology
Northglenn
• Zac Sturgill, Wind Energy Technology
Parker
• Robert Parker, Wind Energy Technology
Connecticut
Salem
• Michael Scace, Solar Energy Technology
Kansas
Minneola
• Darlene Redden, Solar Energy Technology
Norton
• Timothy Millan, Wind Energy Technology
Oakley
• Terry Farmer, Solar Energy Technology
Mexico
Berwick
• Louis Sanfacon, Electrical Engineering Technology
Zacatecas
• Jose Calderon-Ibanez, Electrical Engineering Technology
Michigan
Battle Creek
• Les Crosby, Wind Energy Technology
Muskegon
• Jordan Veltman, Electrical Engineering
Missouri
St. Louis
• Josh Crambert, Wind Energy Technology
New York
Jamestown
• Richard Chase II, Solar Energy Technology
New York City
• Fatih Erogla, Solar Energy Technology
Oregon
Aumsville
• Michael Streight, Wind Energy Technology
Pennsylvania
Canonsburg
• Kevin King, Electrical Engineering
Texas
Corpus Christi
• Shawn Sanders, Wind Energy Technology
Dallas
• Brandon Huckaby, Wind Energy Technology