Ecotech Institute Honors its Second Graduating Class Today

Ecotech Institute, the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in clean technology and sustainability, will hold its second-ever graduation today, Monday, September 24, 2012 at The Summit Conference and Event Center in Aurora, CO. Forty-four graduates, including six military veterans, will cross the stage. They will receive associate’s degrees in Wind Energy Technology, Solar Energy Technology, Renewable Energy Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology.

 

This group of graduates, in addition to the first graduating class, makes up the students who began coursework in a temporary facility before Ecotech’s campus was completed.

 

“We take pride in our visionary students, the people who believed in Ecotech before we had elaborate lab equipment and a LEED-certified campus,” said Mike Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “These students shared our vision and will soon receive their diploma, arming them for success in the vast world of green jobs.”

 

Ecotech hosted its first graduation on June 20, 2012 and approximately 90 percent of graduates are now working in cleantech positions around the country, including Hawaii.

 

All Ecotech students develop soft skills (communication, workplace etiquette), and math and science basics and technology skills, but the educational emphasis is on hands-on, practical training. Ecotech’s prestigious national board of advisors, who serve as academic and business leaders in cleantech industries, helped design the school’s practical curriculum.

 

“It feels good knowing that I now have an advantage above others who are also pursuing this career, but who don’t have the technical training I received at Ecotech,” said Joe Kellogg, who is graduating with a degree in Solar Energy Technology. “I absorbed an abundant knowledge in each class from the best instructors and have the tools to be successful.”

 

The September 2012 graduating class is made up of students from 10 states and Mexico. Listed below are their hometowns, names and degree programs:

 

Alabama

Jackson’s Gap

• Jason Chesnutt, Wind Energy Technology

 

Colorado

Aurora

• Tumu Johnson, Electrical Engineering Technology

• David Shannon, Electrical Engineering Technology

• Clint Turner, Wind Energy Technology

• Mark Westrate, Solar Energy Technology

 

Boulder

• Nicholas Dotter, Electrical Engineering Technology

 

Broomfield

• Joshua Schaefer, Solar Energy Technology

 

Colorado Springs

• Deiyung Downey, Wind Energy Technology

• Matthew Morin, Solar Energy Technology

 

Denver

• Steve Appling, Wind Energy Technology

• Jacob Bratsky, Electrical Engineering Technology

• Chris Horn, Wind Energy Technology

• Thanos Hunt, Renewable Energy Technology

• Joe Kellogg, Solar Energy Technology

• Alejandro Mesa, Electrical Engineering Technology

• Brett Oakes, Renewable Energy Technology

• Esteban Orl, Wind Energy Technology

• Ty Simpson, Renewable Energy Technology

• Joshua Stoppel, Solar Energy Technology

• Josh Yaeger, Electrical Engineering Technology

 

Divide

• Matt Vetis, Solar Energy Technology

 

Henderson

• Gil Negron, Solar Energy Technology

 

Littleton

• Edward Buess, Wind Energy Technology

• Kent Mortensen, Wind Energy Technology

 

Morrison

• Sean Johnston, Renewable Energy Technology

 

Nederland

• Nathan Baumhover, Renewable Energy Technology

 

Northglenn

• Zac Sturgill, Wind Energy Technology

 

Parker

• Robert Parker, Wind Energy Technology

 

Connecticut

Salem

• Michael Scace, Solar Energy Technology

 

Kansas

Minneola

• Darlene Redden, Solar Energy Technology

 

Norton

• Timothy Millan, Wind Energy Technology

 

Oakley

• Terry Farmer, Solar Energy Technology

 

Mexico

Berwick

• Louis Sanfacon, Electrical Engineering Technology

 

Zacatecas

• Jose Calderon-Ibanez, Electrical Engineering Technology

 

Michigan

Battle Creek

• Les Crosby, Wind Energy Technology

 

Muskegon

• Jordan Veltman, Electrical Engineering

 

Missouri

St. Louis

• Josh Crambert, Wind Energy Technology

 

New York

Jamestown

• Richard Chase II, Solar Energy Technology

 

New York City

• Fatih Erogla, Solar Energy Technology

 

Oregon

Aumsville

• Michael Streight, Wind Energy Technology

 

Pennsylvania

Canonsburg

• Kevin King, Electrical Engineering

 

Texas

Corpus Christi

• Shawn Sanders, Wind Energy Technology

 

Dallas

• Brandon Huckaby, Wind Energy Technology