A little over a year ago, Dave Hataj, the visionary and author of the Craftsman of Character curriculum, visited ITAMCO. He shared his passion for the CWC program and encouraged the ITAMCO staff to become mentors for the program.
Over the past nine months, six local students have participated in a paid internship – Hunter Morgan, Owen Waymouth, and Gage Riffle (Triton HS); Hunter Kamp and Ashton Mussleman (Rochester HS) and Will Cassidy (Plymouth HS).
Four days a week, the interns spent a minimum of two hours per day working alongside and shadowing an ITAMCO professional. On the other day, students attended Craftsman with Character classroom session, where they discussed various topics centered around being person with strong character and reflected on why skilled craftsmen are so important to our future as society.
As the school year and internship comes to close, all six interns had the opportunity to share and present what their journey looked like and how and how they grew over the year. They did this in front of nearly 30 parents, school officials, mentors, and members of the community.
The Craftsman's Code
We asked each intern to articulate which Craftsman’s Code and lesson resonated with them the most over the internship and why.
“The Craftman’s Code that stuck with me the most was “pay is a reward for my efforts, not my main motive”. I just really found I enjoy what I do and honestly get surprised when I’m notified about payday.”
– Hunter Morgan, Triton HS
“In the beginning I could have asked more questions. I decided to push myself to be more vulnerable. Do not be afraid to ask questions, even the dumb ones.”
– Owen Waymouth, Triton HS
“One code that stuck out to me the most was “Every person has unique gifts and talents.” The longer I worked here the more I noticed it with everyone having different skill sets and ways of teaching.”
– Hunter Kamp, Rochester HS
“One thing that was hard for me at first was being able to approach people I did not know, and just people skills as a whole. I figured out that I got more comfortable with when I stepped out of my comfort zone and approached people more frequently. It taught me to continue to step out of my comfort zone and intentionally make the effort to face fears.”
– Gage Riffle, Triton HS
“The internship really opened my eyes to the workplace. Before I had no experience in the workplace and I didn’t know how the industry worked. It cleared my vision of my future and helped me narrow it down to a clearer path.”
– Will Cassidy, Plymouth HS
“This internship has been very helpful. The rotation/ multi-department approach has allowed me to try out two different professions (CNC Machining and Electrical).”
– Ashton Musselman, Rochester HS
