Army Education Electrical
Rylee Stanley, a senior at Calloway County High School, broadened his career opportunities by taking two programs, electrical and machine tool, at the Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center. Army Education Electrical.
Stanley is Associated General Contractors of Western Kentucky’s Technical Centers Student of the Week.
As a freshman in high school, Stanley started out in the machine tool program.
“I took machine tool my freshman year, and, you know, I liked it, but I felt like I could do more in that school,” he explained.
After one year in the program, Stanley talked to the electrical teacher at the technology center, Ron Thompson, during a construction career day. Thompson encouraged him to enter the electrical program.
“I was kind of afraid of electrical…Sophomore year, I gave his class a shot, and it turns out I was really good at it,” Stanley said. “I got good at wiring up panel boards at first, and then started getting into bending conduit and running more wire and just doing the more advanced stuff.”
Stanley placed third at the regional competition in electrical during his junior year of high school. He plans to compete again this year in the same category.
In addition to his success in the district and regional competitions, Stanley was selected for Associated General Contractors Student League last year, has obtained a Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky certification in electrical, and has earned a National Incident Management System certification.
Stanley is also an active member of society outside of his electrical education. He enlisted in the United States Army National Guard four months ago.
“I’ve wanted to join the Army since I was a kid,” he said.
Future Plans
He plans to attend Murray State University, where he will study criminal justice and social work, before completing his U.S. Army contract. Stanley also plans to use his background in electrical in his future career.
“When I come out of college, and I finish my contract, I’m going to go through an apprenticeship program and start my own electrical business,” Stanley said.
As a first generation university student, Stanley said he hopes to make his family proud.
“I just want to have a good, stable future for myself and my family,” he said.
Stanley participates in a host of extracurricular activities, including wrestling, football, and Habitat for Humanity. He has been employed as a maintenance technician, cashier, and lawn care technician.
Stanley wants to thank his electrical teacher, Ron Thompson, for encouraging him to start electrical classes and supporting his educational endeavors.
“He’s really the one that got me into electrical and, I mean, got it started for me. I’m really appreciative of it,” he said.
Source: Army Education Electrical
https://www.paducahsun.com/news/rylee-stanley-pursues-future-in-army-education-and-electrical/article_4c294d76-a4e3-5a6a-8618-1e922324a3c2.html
https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news-by-industry/energy-education/