Our Alumni Spotlight shines on Adam Fortin. Adam said, “Capital Area Technical Center laid the foundation for a successful career in a booming industry.” Adam is a 2018 graduate of Monmouth Academy. He attend the Electrical program at CATC for 2 years. Following graduation, he immediately started working in the electrical field, in both commercial and residential settings. While working, he studied at Central Maine Community College and earned a degree in Electro-Mechanical Technology. In 2021, he successfully passed the Maine Journeyman’s License test. He is currently employed at Central Maine Power as a Substations Technician.
Our Alumni spotlight shines on Danikah Chartier. Danikah’s career began when she established her portrait and wedding photography business in 2014. Attending the Capital Area Technical Center’s Graphic Design program in 2017 allowed her to develop her photography and retouching skills by professional standards and with the mentorship of those in the industry. Danikah went on to compete in the SkillsUSA national photography competition in the summer before leaving for college. Danikah says, “Coming to CATC was the best thing I could have done to jumpstart my career and prepare myself for my future education. The graphic design program at CATC provides students with an extensive toolbelt for their creative expression and teaches them necessary lessons on professionalism, collaboration, and self-motivation. On the first day, my instructor, Mrs. Jessica Douin, announced to the class: ‘From here on out, you are not a student; you are a professional in the industry.’ Mrs. Douin gave me the respect and responsibility of an adult, leading me to step into the position and treat myself as such. I genuinely feel that my time in the ‘classroom’ was a real-world experience.” Danikah is a 2018 graduate of Gardiner Area High School. She is expected to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) with her BFA in Photography and Related Media in May of 2023. She is obtaining minors in Art History, Fashion History Theory and Culture, and Film and Media Studies. A few of Danikah’s accomplishments since attending FIT include; holding the position of Photography Director for Blush magazine, photographing for the luxury skincare company La Femme Noire, and most proudly working as a Fashion History and Photography Digital Archive Intern for the Alexandre Vassiliev Foundation in Paris France over the summer of 2022. After graduation, Danikah will continue her conceptual photography for publication and exhibitions, freelance as a fashion and beauty photographer, and pursue her new passion for fashion history and costume design.
Our Alumni Spotlight shines on Shaine Staples a 2019 graduate of Erskine Academy who completed 2 years in our Building Construction program. Shaine is employed by Jacobs Glass in Winslow as a Assistant Project Manager and Laborer. He said, “CATC gave me the opportunity to learn specific training and the skill sets to exceed in the construction field.” Jacobs Glass owner, Jeremy Whitehouse, said, “Shaine continually impresses me with his ability to quickly grasp concepts and task that we throw at him; while giving him minimal direction and instruction. His attitude and willingness to help others is all anyone could ask for in a coworker. We love Shaine!”
Our Alumni Spotlight shines on Brooke Whitley Warren. Ever since she can remember, Brook wanted to be a nurse. She enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program in 2014, which was her senior year at Cony High School. She obtained her CNA certification, and was exposed to the medical field and had the opportunity to provide hands-on direct patient care. She loved the program and it helped her confirm her career path. After graduation, she attended Southern Maine Community College, graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing and obtained her State of Maine Registered Nurse (RN) license. She went on to work as an RN for Northern Light Easter Maine Medical Center in Bangor on the MedSurg unit and received the Daisy Award. While working, she went on to school to obtain her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from University of Maine at Fort Kent. Brooke is currently a full-time Nursing Professor for Eastern Maine Community College, where she teaches and prepares senior year nursing students. She is passionate about educating new nurses so is enrolled in University of Southern Maine’s Masters in Nursing Education Program. Brooke said, “CATC’s immersive hands-on learning environment helped me to obtain the necessary skills needed to enter the profession of nursing. I would recommend CATC’s CNA program to anybody seeking a career in the medical field. As I was evaluating college choices, I chose a local Maine community college as their curriculum and values closely match that of the CATC program.”
Our Alumni Spotlight shines on Cody Beaudoin. Cody is a 2016 graduate of Erskine Academy. He attended two years of the Machine Tool with Welding program at Capital Area Technical Center. He was recruited by a local machine shop as a senior in high school and started working for them while still in school at Erskine Academy. After high school, he attended Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) where he received his Associate’s Degree in Precision Machining. While at KVCC, he started working for Kennebec Technologies in Augusta. He worked full-time at Kennebec Technologies while taking advantage of their tuition reimbursement program. After KVCC, he went on to Central Maine Community College (CMCC) and earned an Advanced Certificate in Precision Machining. After CMCC, he went on to the University of Southern Maine, where he’s currently just a handful of credits away from earning his BA in Technology Management. His current position with Kennebec Technologies is a Machinist/Quality Inspector. Cody says, “Capital Area Technical Center was the best choice I could have made for my education. It allowed me to enter the workforce right out of high school which in turn, allowed me to obtain higher education debt-free. Although it may be considered an untraditional route to higher education I believe it was the best route. I was able to take advantage of the tuition reimbursement program Kennebec Technologies offered while working full time. This allowed me to avoid the national student debt crisis which has plagued many of my peers.”
Our alumni spotlight shines on Logan Farr. Logan graduated from Monmouth Academy. He completed the Firefighting program at CATC in 2020. Logan attends Southern Maine Community College and was selected as a live-in student with the Topsham Fire Department. He has obtained his firefighting certifications, emergency medical technician (EMT) license, which are huge steps towards his goal of becoming a career Firefighter/Paramedic. He came to CATC with experience as a member of the junior firefighting program in Monmouth. His knowledge and experience, along with his positive attitude, made him a leader in the class. He has continued to work hard in college to meet his goals.
Our Alumni S
potlight for October 2021 shines on Zachary Tobias. Zachary graduated from Cony in 2008 and completed the Law Enforcement Academy program that same year. He joined the United States Army and served as an active duty Airborne Ranger for four years. He served 3 deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now works for the Augusta Police Department, and has been a Patrol Officer for the past 8 years. He is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team, Special Response Team, a Firearms Instructor and a Field Training Officer. He credits his time at Capital Area Technical Center with his Law Enforcement instructor, Mr. Peter Couture as extremely valuable for setting him on his career path. He says, “At CATC, I learned the tools needed to be a successful adult. Things like leadership, honesty, and keeping my nose clean.” He credits Mr. Couture for helping him find his personal moral compass of integrity. Augusta Police Chief Jared Mills says about the program, “Mr. Couture has taken the law enforcement program to an elite level in my opinion. It has become one of the most successful recruiting locations for our future team members here at the Augusta Police Department. This program provides the students with the skills and knowledge to start working as a law enforcement officer practically upon completion. We are so fortunate to have this gem of a program here in our capital city.”
Our Alumni Spotlight this month, March 2021, shines on Ross Young. Ross attended the Business Academy at Capital Area Technical Center and graduated from Cony in 2017. He went on to graduate from the University of Maine at Farmington. He is employed by New York Life Insurance Company as a Financial Services Professional. He also owns his own landscaping business, Ledgehill Landscaping. Ross says, “CATC allowed me to grow as a person and develop new skills that I would take with me for life. I was able to earn college credits while still in high school which enabled me to graduate college early and get a jump start on my career!” His supervisor at New York Life Insurance Company, Mr. Francis “Frank” Mesina says, “I sometimes tell agent and investment adviser candidates, “This is a winning team. If you do not consider yourself to be great, or aspiring to be great, please do not interview with us – you will just slow us down.” At New York Life we do not look to hire people who are simply good at sales. In our industry, that might result in a lawsuit down the road. Instead, we look for people like Ross, who have a history of success and believe that good people like to see good people succeed! When interviewing candidates, I ask myself two questions to see if they have what it takes to be upwardly mobile at the oldest, largest and highest-rated mutual Fortune 100 financial services firm. First, “Can I imagine myself working with this person?” And second, “Can I imagine myself working for this person?” Ross is a “Yes” for both, and I am very proud that he is the face of NYL in our community!”
Skyler Boucher completed 2 years of the Plumbing and Heating program with Mr. Nick Smith and graduated from Maranacook Community High School in 2020. He is employed as an Apprentice Plumber at Ranor Mechanical in Jay. Skyler said, “I didn’t want to go to CATC, but my parents had me give it a try. It was life changing. I knew I didn’t want to be working in a cubicle for the rest of my life. I found my career path.” Chris Fortier, Field Operations Manager at Ranor Mechanical said, “Skyler had been working at Ranor for about 3 weeks when he had to miss an hour of work to attend a student orientation at Central Maine Community College. The next day he saw me and asked when would be a good time to make up the hour of work he had missed. I told him don’t ever lose that work ethic. You can teach people a lot of things, but you can’t teach work ethic. This is why Skyler is the kind of employee we are looking for. He is reliable, hardworking and just an overall good person.”
Our Alumni Spotlight shines on Katrina Booth. Katrina graduated from Maranacook Community High School in 2016. She completed the Early Childhood Education program at Capital Area Technical Center during her senior year in high school. She originally took the Early Childhood Education program in hopes that it would help her further her future career in adolescent psychology. In order to make sure she had all her bases covered, she also signed up for a dual enrollment college course in psychology. These two course enrollments quickly taught her that this career path was NOT for her. She remembers loving her time with the pre-k students at CATC and in turn dreading her time in psychology class. Senior year in high school was really when her passion for education began. Katrina says, “My passion for teaching had never been apparent to me prior to my time at CATC. In fact, I recall saying earlier in life that I would never become a teacher, especially a high school teacher!” Now she sits at a desk in her very own High School English classroom at Winthrop High School. Katrina’s principal at Winthrop High School, Mr. Mark Campbell says, “We were fortunate here at Winthrop to find Katrina ‘Kat’ Booth in a large, competitive pool of applicants for our open English position. Kat has a strong command of her content which is evident through her lessons and her discussions with her department colleagues. Her ability to be an inspiring educator in all of her classes speaks volumes of her strengths. She has some tough assignments, but she is able to maintain a safe learning environment all while creating and maintaining positive relationships with her students. She is a first year teacher with the skill set of a veteran teacher. Winthrop High School is fortunate to have her on the team.” Katrina further says, “CATC sparked my love for education and I started college focused in Early Childhood Education because of the program and the people there. As I worked through my classes, I later found my passion for the secondary education setting and later changed my major. I can say without a doubt that without CATC, I don’t believe that my path would have taken the road that it did. Because of them I am able to sit here in my first year of teaching and say that I truly enjoy each day with my students in my classroom.”