Alumni Success

Jessica Peavler graduated from Louisville Technical Institute. I came to LTI after completing 2 years at Western Kentucky University and a year at the University of Louisville. I had most of my general education out of the way and a year of nursing school, which clearly, was not for me. My first quarter I was actually enrolled as an Interior Design student. However, when I started taking the CAD classes, I found that I enjoyed designing the structures of the houses more so than the interior, which prompted me to yet again change my major. Now I finally had found something that I really liked doing and something that kept my interest, not always easily done. I learned a whole lot in an accelerated time period. My experience with LTI was great, I enjoyed the class work, and all of the courses were very interesting and very challenging. The teachers were great, always there to help and provided a professional, friendly atmosphere. I graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Architectural CAD in March of 2005. While attending LTI, they would host on site job-fairs, a real convenience for us students. A month before my graduation, I got an interview from LG&E, who I had talked to at one of the job fairs. I got hired in their asset information department, using small CAD operations for their geographical mapping system. So, I wasn't doing architecture but had a job using CADD, before I even completed the program! I have already been promoted to an Engineer Design Tech! I design the electric layouts for new commercial business and residential developments. I really enjoy my job and would not have it now if I did not have the CADD degree from LTI.

Kevin Brown chose LTI was that after being at the University of Louisville for a year and struggling, I knew that I needed something different. I also liked that I could get an in demand degree in less than two years. Another reason why I chose LTI is that I felt like I wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle in a smaller school and that I would get the one on one help that I needed. My student experience was great; I met a lot of people that helped me along the way. I got to know the people I had class with pretty well and got along with everyone. The teachers were also very helpful and had a lot of valuable experience in their particular fields. I was an Architectural Drafting major and I chose my field of study because before I was in school I worked construction, and I wanted to be able to design some of the things I was building rather than be the laborer. I also chose it because I took some drafting classes in high school and I really liked AutoCAD and wanted to learn all the different things I could do with it. My education at LTI gave me the opportunity to get into a career field fast and with knowledge of how things were done. I work for a civil engineering firm in downtown Louisville called Strand Associates, Inc. My job title is technician, which means I do little bit of everything. Within the first year I have been on the survey crew numerous times, helped in water sampling on local creeks and streams, I have done traffic counts around the state, been a drafter on multiple projects, and I also help out around the office with anything the engineers need.

Oliver Hesselwood chose LTI for many reasons but mainly because of the Mechanical Computer Aided Design Drafting program gave me the tools necessary to excel in design and engineering. My experience at LTI was great. The classes were small, which gave the time and chances for a better one on one student relationship with teachers. Every class was based around preparing for the professional world. The up to date software and the hands-on training in the classroom really enhanced the learning process I now work for Bechtel as an Associate Rigging Engineer on the Motiva Crude Expansion Project in Port Arthur, Texas. It is currently the largest construction project in the US. I do crane and rigging studies for some of the largest land based cranes in the world, and a lot goes in to the planning and preparation of lifting heavy equipment. In the planning I utilize all the skills I acquired at LTI, whether it’s sizing the rigging for 800T vessels or drawing the heavy lift plan and set sequence of equipment in AutoCAD. Every class counted for me.

Kevin Hornocker went to Louisville Technical Institute from 2000-2002. I received my Associates Degree in Mechanical Computer Aided Design Drafting while attending there. I chose LTI because this school has the highest job placement and a relaxed student environment. Also, smaller classroom sizes, which in turn gave the students more one on one time with the teachers and made learning easier. I had a great overall student experience. Everyone was kind and more than willing to help out if I have any problems or questions. If I needed extra help the teachers were more than willing to give me the time and attention that I needed. With the hands on training that I received I believe my experience was great. I chose my field of study because I love to design. I’m very interested in the mechanical aspects of things and how they work. By going to college I am no longer working in a factory and am out in the business field in which I have my degree. I like my job and I am achieving success. Currently I am a Mechanical Design Drafter at the Lyons Companies in Louisville, Kentucky where I design parts for the sheet metal industry. As of right now I am designing parts for GE, Whirlpool and other facilities around the world.

Brigitte Nguyen an April graduate of Sullivan's culinary arts program, found herself in Beijing this summer, part of a select group of students and instructors pulling duty with a New York catering team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Kelly Kamin a recent graduate of Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky., was selected to work with the Frambiouse Catering Co. of Staten Island, N.Y. The initial nomination came from Chef Kimberly Jones, a catering professor at Sullivan, but Kamin had to pass a rigorous interview process with members of the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo. The field of 175 nominees was cut to 22 early this year with Kamin and the others scrambling to obtain passports and make other arrangements. A beautiful Chinese restaurant in the heart of Beijing became kitchen central as the staff prepared to feed Olympians staying at the USA High Performance Center