Cassandra “Cassie” Dearing is currently a welding student at the Technical Campus and interning at the Mercedes-Benz Training Center in Grapevine. Her supervisor recently asked members of the Technical Campus staff to come by and tour the facility and see what great work Dearing’s been doing.
During her time there, she’s received the Mercedes-Benz Structural and Thin Panel Aluminum Welding certifications. She’s the first woman and the youngest person to get these certifications at Mercedes-Benz. 美洲狮的新闻 interviewed Dearing to learn more about her experience at Collin, why she decided to pursue the welding program, and what she’s looking forward to after graduation.
Pictured: Dr. Bill King (Campus Provost), Cassie Dearing (welding student), Michael Coffman (Dean of Academic Affairs), and Sean Sweeden (Workforce Career Coach).
问：你是如何对金沙博彩的焊接专业产生兴趣的？
迪林高产: 我高中一毕业就听说了金沙博彩的事。 I said to myself: I live
in Farmersville, its only a 30-minute drive, I don’t have to move. So, it was just
placed in my lap, and I was like, Sure, I’ll try it. 我要试试。
问：你的家庭成员中有从事焊接工作的吗？
迪林高产: 我跟我爸爸学了焊接，所以我爱上了它。 He’s a tradesman
— a jack-of-all-trades, if you will — so I’ve learned a lot from him and that’s how
I grew into it. I like working with my hands and learning a skill that will never
leave you and will always have a job for you — that definitely comes with welding.
问：到目前为止，你在金沙博彩的经历如何？ Any professors or classes that stand
out to you?
迪林高产: 我的经历很棒。 （达雷尔）罗切尔教授对我来说很突出。 He’s been
my professor for the majority of the time, and I could not thank that man enough for
everything that he’s done and everything he’s taught me and shown me. Prior to Collin,
I did weld a little bit, but it was only stick welding which is very basic welding.
他向我展示了焊接还有很多东西要学。 There’s the testing side, the scientific
side, and much more.
Q: Tell me about your time working with Mercedes-Benz, how the opportunity came to
be, and what you’re enjoying about it.
迪林高产: I got a call from Sean Sweeden (a workforce career coach at the Technical Campus)
that Mercedes-Benz needed someone to help with the testing side, so it was great to
hear about the opportunity. 我在这里度过了美好的时光。 I’ve been able to network
with a lot of the people that come through here, so if I ever need a job, not only
do I have my certifications but I can also reach out to some of the guys I’ve met
to help me.
问：我想女焊工应该不多吧。 你对此有何看法？
迪林高产: In the field in general, everywhere you go you’re going to see a man instead of a
woman, and I’d love to be an advocate for women in the welding program. I’ve been
so lucky to see two more girls on our campus in this program. It takes a lot to weld
and to work in this field, so that’s been good to see.
问：在金沙博彩完成焊接课程后，你有什么计划？
迪林高产: 我将于2022年5月毕业，获得副学士学位。 Once I graduate, my internship
will end and I know that the certifications I’ve earned here and saying that I’ve
worked at Mercedes-Benz for welding will prepare me for the future.
Next, I plan on trying to find a fabrication job that suits me well because you’ll never do the same thing twice. It’s not like a factory job where you’re welding the same part for eight hours or 10 hours a day, so I do love the idea of getting to know the fabrication side more. Eventually I want to specialize in Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding which is the most advanced welding. It’s a very hard skill to learn and not many people know that skill, which is why I would love to work on that side and get paid more!
Q: What advice would you give future students who might not know about the program
or are unsure if they should pursue it?
迪林高产: 有了焊接，你永远不会失业。 You can go anywhere in the world and
have a job. That’s great job security — knowing that you’re going to have enough money
to put food on the table for your family and for yourself, too.
If you’re unsure about the program, just take the first couple of classes — I’m sure you will fall in love. If you know that you like to work with your hands, have a good work ethic, and you’re determined, then I’m sure you will make it in this field.
