HIWT GRAD CHRISTINA STRUNK HONORED

Reprinted from Winter 1996/97

Christina (Tina) Strunk of Richmond, Indiana, was honored at an annual Alumni Day Awards ceremony by Indiana Workforce Development.    It was through the Wayne County Workforce Development Center in Richmond that Tina gained access to the employment and training programs she needed to enter the welding field.

When she first applied for services, Tina was a single parent of four sons.  Although she had worked in Texas for 15 years as a cardiac monitor technician, she found that positions in that field were not available in Richmond.  Tina worked for awhile as a nursing assistant, then in a factory, but realized that these wages would not support her family.  Her goal was to enroll in some type of training that would enable her to secure higher-paying employment.  The field of welding attracted her. 

Tina first participated in an RVR-developed program called WINNERS (Women In Nontraditional Niches Earn Respectable Salaries) to prepare her to enter training in a nontraditional occupational field.  During these two weeks, Tina continued working 30 hours a week, second shift.  It was at this time that she discovered she had a medical problem that required surgery and follow-up medical attention.  She still managed to pursue her goals and overcome the obstacles that were in her way to successful completion of her course of study.   

Tina enrolled in the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology’s Combination Pipe Welding Program.  Throughout her nine months of training, Tina’s only income was from unemployment insurance.  She took out a student loan to help with living expenses rather than apply for AFDC (aid to families with dependent children)!

Tina’s grades and attendance were excellent and before her training was even completed, she received job offers from as far away as Colorado.  Hobart Institute receives numerous inquiries from employers wanting to hire recent graduates.  Tina didn’t want to relocate at this time, so she accepted a job offer in Brookville, Ohio.  In addition to a good salary, she has full benefits including health and life insurance, 401K, paid vacation, and sick days. 

At her job, Tina performs flux cored arc, gas metal arc, and gas tungsten arc welding on stainless and carbon steel and aluminum.  Tina is anxious to tell her story so that others may see that with determination and the right kind of support and preparation along with training and motivation, it IS possible to make a change in one’s life and economic future. 

Tina was honored again by the Southeastern Indiana Private Industry Council, which has oversight responsibility for the federal programs and services that assisted Tina on her path to a new future. 

Private Industry Council Chair Bill Mountsier told her, “We see that statistics and read the reports, but when we have the chance to see you here in front of us, we see a face, a real person who has benefited from the policies and programs we approve here.  You make it all worthwhile!”