Gene Haas Foundation donates $1M to BC Institute of Tech Machining program

[DavidR8]

Very cool story.

Forging paths: $1M donation from Gene Haas Foundation paves the way for BCIT students through faculty like Indigenous Red Seal Machinist Chelsea Barron | BCIT News

Chelsea Barron has an angel. Her name was Angelina. She hunted on horseback, and was a residential school survivor and fierce mother of nine children. Angelina was her grandmother and is a driving inspiration in Chelsea’s life. “My grandmother was barely 20 years old when she decided to leave...

commons.bcit.ca

 

[BladesIIB]

Great story. I did my pre-apprentice training at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC but my other 3 years of schooling during my Machinist apprenticeship were at BCIT. It was an impressive program 30 years ago, I imagine it is a state of the art program today.

 

[DavidR8]

How did you end up in Nelson and BCIT???

 

[BladesIIB]

How did you end up in Nelson and BCIT???

I grew up in Williams Lake. Family is still there. I worked in a machine shop up in Dawson Creek for my apprenticeship. Then decided to go to college in the States near my Grandparents. Went home in the summers to work as a machinist but have been living in the US since 96.

 

[DavidR8]

Well that's pretty cool!

 

[BladesIIB]

Well that's pretty cool!

Thanks. My brother was born on the Island, and lives there again now. Not Victoria, a little further North. Beautiful country, I miss it. My wife is not keen on snow. Hard to get her out of Texas long.

 

[DavidR8]

It's definitely a fine place to live. Tx is nice too, spent a bit of time in the McAllen area ages ago.

 

[aliva]

I have a brother in law in Mill Bay