Mariah Young began her college journey at a four-year university before transferring to BRCC.Several tragic events happened during theyear prior that took a toll on her focus and perspective. Afterlearning to deal with the loss of three loved ones, Young begin to look at getting back on track concerning her future goals and aspirations.

“Imet a few people that took courses in PTEC (Process Technology),” said Young. Two of the guys that I know went to BRCC, and the other to another community college. I did someresearch, and I felt like the PTEC program at BRCC was the best fit for me.”

PTEC is a male-dominated career and for some females that could be discouraging,as was the case for Young. In addition to not being able to interact with other students early due to Covid restrictions, made it challenging for her. Although warned about some of the challenges,she felt this was the best choice for her personally and for building a future. It caused a few problems for her, but since then things have been great for her. Young said she spent extra time into learning in the classroom and doing lab work.

“At first, I had no idea about PTEC or what it involved,” said Young.I had a different major when I first enrolled in college out of high school. SoI was a little discouraged because I was the only girl in my class.I knew peoplethat worked at a plant,and they knew about different typesof tools needed to do the job whereas I had limited knowledge about various tools.”

Although Young chose a predominately male field, she said all her classmates made her feel welcome and that enabled her to adjust andlearn quickly. She also credited her professors for investing time in her development even on days when there weren’t any classes scheduled. Young said she would come to class early and spend hours of her free time working on the unit, reviewing drawings, and asking questions about the industry. One challenging moment happened during her first semester when had to climb a visibly high ladder to the very top to read a meterand then collect data for the temperatures.

Young feels like BRCC has prepared her well for the next step she would like to take in building a career working as a Process Technician at a plant. She attributed her training in and out of the classroomto helping her feel confident about the quality of work she’s capable of doing. She said the on-campusreplication of a plant unit along with a unit simulation software that allowsstudents to practice at home has been ideal for her learning.

“I would definitely say as a female, anybody who's looking into doing it, don't say, I don't want to do it because it's mostly males do it,” said Young.“You’re going to have some moments where it’s like did I make the right decision, but if you trust the process and take it one step at a time and focus, I promise it’ll be the best decision you’ve ever made.”

Young is preparing now for an internship in the spring and plans tograduate in May 2024.She said her journey at BRCC has been amazing. Her advice toincoming students is to not second-guess yourself and trust the process and resources that are available to help every student at BRCC.