ICTC-HAYDEN STEPHENS
With a family history of working in the heating and colling business, it wasn’t a difficult decision for Webbers Falls senior Hayden Stephens to go into the HVAC program at the Indian Capital Technology Center in Muskogee.
“HVAC kind of runs in the family and I want to carry on the tradition,” said Hayden who is in the first year of the two-year program. So, he plans to return to ICTC next year after he graduates high school to complete the program then work for someone for a couple of years before hopefully starting his own business.
Instructor Terry Hodges explained the different certifications that students will achieve when they complete the program.
“In this course the students work on commercial and residential heating and air conditioning and light refrigeration such as ice machines,” said Hodges. “Upon completion they’ll have their Oklahoma State Mechanical Apprentice license so they can work under a licensed contractor or journeyman for a year. and then take a test to get their journeyman license. They’ll also get their EPA license to handle refrigerants and their OSHA 10 certification.”
In addition to his work at ICTC, Hayden is also very active in FFA and plays baseball for the Warriors.
“In FFA I show hogs, do land judging, cattle grading and livestock judging as well as shoot skeet, make some speeches and I’m the chapter vice-president. I think there are some comparisons between playing baseball and my work at ICTC. In both, you have to have good communication. If you don’t talk to one another on the baseball diamond, bad things can happen during a game, and we work together on team projects at ICTC where you communicate with your teammates about what you think the best solutions are to fix a problem. The thing I like best about ICTC is working with my hands. I like soldering and making stuff with my hands and seeing what will and won’t work in electrical work particularly.”
But even if working with your hands isn’t your thing, Hayden says ICTC has lots of possibilities for high school students trying to decide what to do after high school.
“I know a girl who is in the dental hygienist program where there’s a lot of sitting which I could never do, but that’s the beauty of ICTC-there’s something there for everyone to try.”
