Picture Yourself Here: Megan Douglas

Megan Douglas, a 2016 homeschool graduate and former dual enrolled student, was originally majoring in social work, but she has decided to pursue an associate degree in CAD design. "My Dad is an engineer and I was always kind of around CAD so I took a class with instructor Dave Brock and it was awesome. I decided to just keep going."

She changed her major to CAD in 2022 and will finish up next spring. At the end of the winter semester, she completed a CAD certificate and she is working as a CAD intern at Peloton, Inc. in Otsego. "I really like it a lot," she said. "I enjoy doing what I feel equipped to do. It can be awkward when you first start a job. You can feel like a fish out of water, but it's been nice to be able to use the skills that I already have."

Douglas said it's especially satisfying to see a job through from concept to completion. "There's a lot of hands-on application," she explained. "There are a lot of steps involved in setting up CNC and seeing the project all the way through."

All of the instructors at Kalamazoo Valley have been encouraging and highly skilled, Douglas said. "Just having instructors who really care about your success is huge," she said. Jumping from human services to the engineering pathway was unplanned, but it makes sense to Douglas now. "I think it's hilarious to see this whole other side of my brain working and I'm actually passionate about this and I didn't even know it," she said.

A Bloomingdale resident, Douglas said the affordability of taking classes at Kalamazoo Valley was a big selling point, but there are also many other advantages. "The ease of the whole process has been great," she said. "And I've been able to talk through everything with my advisor."

Her internship experience, coupled with her classes, have convinced her that she's pursuing the right career. "I'm here because I want to be a parent some day and I'm making a future for my family," she said.