Army veteran Bret Crissman's GTCC experience has been one of learning, helping others
Published on: May 22, 2024
Bret Crissman carried out a life-long goal when he enlisted in the Army before his senior year at Northern Guilford High School and headed to basic training as soon as he graduated.
He has now used his military experience and education to complete an associate in mechanical engineering technologies from Guilford Technical Community College and helped fellow veterans along the way.
“I wanted to enlist all my life,” explained Crissman. “I wanted to be in the Navy like my dad, but I switched to the Army. I swore into the Army in the eleventh grade. I did basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I started two weeks after high school graduation.”
Crissman spent two years in the Army. During most of that time, he was a drone mechanic, making sure drones were mechanically sound.
“We’d launch them in the morning … they could be up nine hours … then we’d land them and do it all over again,” said Crissman.
When he left the Army, Crissman delved into the possibilities of an engineering career, an idea tucked away in his brain since high school. His time working with drones in the Army piqued that interest. He went to the internet to search and was in for a surprise.
“Whenever I got out of the Army, I wondered what I should do. I fell in love with engineering classes in high school. I began researching, and GTCC popped up,” said Crissman, adding he didn’t realize that such an extensive engineering program was so close to his Greensboro home.
It didn’t take Crissman long to enroll in a mechanical engineering curriculum at GTCC. He said the admissions department works closely with veterans and that the G.I. Bill covered the cost of his 2 1/2 years at the college.
“I have loved every minute of it (mechanical engineering classes). I’ve loved working with professor (Craig) Koretoff. I’ve had at least 10 classes with him.”
Koretoff helped Crissman land a work-study job with the college, which enhanced his college experience.
Crissman was unhappily employed in a retail store when his professor mentioned a job opening on campus.
“I didn’t like where I was working very much because they were having me work ‘til midnight on school nights. Mr. Koretoff asked in class if anyone was interested in a job on campus, and my hand shot up,” said Crissman.
While in college, Crissman worked in GTCC’s financial aid office on the college’s Greensboro campus, assisting students in completing their financial aid applications. The job has been rewarding for Crissman, especially the time he was able to spend with fellow veterans.
“The experience of showing veterans and students in general what to do is fairly similar, but it’s nice to connect with other veterans as we can share stories and experiences,” said Crissman, who worked three days a week in the financial aid office.
“It’s been fantastic to work and go to school at the same place.”
Crissman’s graduated this spring with an associate degree in mechanical engineering technologies. He says his Army experience has helped greatly in his work toward that degree.
“I would say some of my job skills from the Army translated over to my degree. I can better understand 3-D shapes when I’m making them” because of working with software for drones in the Army.
“If I’m working on a drawing now, I can mentally picture it as a 3-D object and can get to work,” said Crissman, who hopes to work with 2-D and 3-D software creating parts when he graduates this spring.
Looking back at his time at GTCC, Crissman says discovering GTCC’s engineering program has steered him toward a solid start in the engineering workplace.
“I would say a surprising thing is how well GTCC has distributed teachings along major-specific classes,” said Crissman. The content in my major is geared towards helping us. It’s setting us up for success. It’s not information you’re going to forget. It’s something I’ll remember in the job world.”
For more on GTCC’s engineering program, visit Mechanical Engineering Technology
Back to All Articles