>> I was self employed for 20 years, and I needed some more, you know,
I wanted to get out into a different field.
And I was trying to do my kitchen in my house, and I'm like, wow, I really love this.
And I found this kitchen and bath program here, and being 45, I was very nervous going back
to school, not knowing what to expect.
Can I handle it with working, having kids, a family, all that kind of stuff.
I met Jim Dipietro, who is in charge
of the technology department here, and he was wonderful.
And he helped me decide which classes to take.
And, you know, one class that he knew, it was a lot of work, so he said just take one at a time.
Some classes, it could be two classes a semester, things like that.
But he was wonderful.
And actually, he's the one that told me about the job that I have right now.
He met the owner, and she was mentioning to him that she might be looking for somebody,
and he thought about me, and I went for the job interview, and I got the job.
So he was a great advocate for all of his students.
He's helped a lot of people get internships and job.
And he does help them even after they've graduated.
He'll think about them 3 years later and go, oh, I wonder, you know,
where they are, if they're looking for a job.
And a lot of students do come back to him, also, to ask for that.
So he was a great advocate for all of us.