WKU News

Some professionals in the world of engineering are giving high school juniors and seniors a glimpse into their careers.

WKU’s Amy Bingham takes us to this year’s SCK Launch event held on WKU’s campus in this week’s View from the Hill.

“Pathway to Engineering,” put on by the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, is designed to give students some insight into one of the most in-demand jobs over the next decade.

Kiriu Manufacturing Engineer Erick Guillen doesn’t want these high school students to make the same mistake he did.

“When I was 16, I dropped out and I thought I could work a full-time job and I could make it in life.  I was very wrong.”

Guillen, who later got his GED and his mechatronic engineering degree, is one of several presenters sharing what life is like as an engineer at SCK Launch.

“If I can change somebody’s life or make them think different and steer them in the right path, that’s something I’d be willing to do.”

It’s the first time the program has been held on WKU’s campus.

“This event is usually held at the local manufacturers but because of some of the covid restrictions inside of some of the plants, we decided to hold this event on campus.”

Arbuckle says it’s also one of WKU’s first chances to show off the university’s virtual reality lab.

“What we like about that lab is t it’s an interdisciplinary lab, so it’s more like what students will see when they go out in the workforce.”

“We showed them our programs and kind of talked about what we do there but I’ve been talking to them individually to see kind of what they’re into and surprisingly a lot of them are into art so I told them about all the ways art can be combined with engineering or C.S. or basically anything.”

Sessions that allowed students a peek behind the curtain for both a college student and a professional.

“I had a couple ask questions yes and you know I tried to give them advice.  I told them don’t do what I did.”

SCK Launch is a partnership between the Bowling Green Area Chamber Foundation, Bowling Green Independent and Warren County Public Schools as well as local businesses, to ensure career success for future graduates. A total of 65 area high school juniors and seniors took part in the program.