Joe Seeber had been looking forward to this field trip since the beginning of the semester. Seeber is an Electrical Technology major at Onondaga Community College who will complete his degree this semester. On September 30, Seeber and his classmates in Professor Betsy Nicholas' Power System (ELT 285) class went on a field trip to the National Grid Power Distribution Control Center in the Town of Clay. "My brother works in NYSEG's (New York State Electric and Gas) Control Room and I was excited to see what something like that would be like."
During their visit, Seeber and his classmates learned about the work done at the Power Distribution Control Center and toured the facility. The person leading the way was Ben Kott, a 2012 graduate of OCC who is a Lead Shift Supervisor at National Grid. "Knowing that so many people we met today had some connection to OCC made me feel very confident that I'm in the right place," said Seeber. "I feel much more confident about being able to be hired by a major company like National Grid or NYSEG."
This is the third time Professor Nicholas has brought a class to the Power Distribution Control Center. "The more I can show students job opportunities, the more excited they get about what they are studying," Professor Nicholas said. Her past experiences were Seeber's this time. "The trip opened my eyes to the fact that I have many opportunities after I achieve this degree, and has really motivated me to finish this semester strong!"
Professor Nicholas' field trips serve a dual purpose. Besides giving students an opportunity to see the type of job they can get with their degree, it also gives National Grid the opportunity to recruit students. Two years ago when Professor Nicholas made her first visit there with students, one of them was Riley Wood. In 2023 he graduated from Oswego High School and OCC, and went to work at National Grid. Six months later he became the youngest Regional Operator in the company's 89-year history.
Students can learn about similar internship and job opportunities by attending a STEM Career Showcase on campus. It will be held Thursday, October 10 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in the Gordon Student Center Great Room.
