P-TECH Profile: Trevor Humez

When Trevor Humez began taking classes at Onondaga Community College during his junior year of high school, he knew he was where he was supposed to be. "I was in a machine tools class with Professor (Mike) Grieb. You are given a certain amount of material and have to try to make something out of it. I knew I had made the right decision choosing P-TECH."

P-TECH stands for Pathways in Technology Early College High School. It's a program that provides high school students the opportunity to work toward their high school diploma and associate degree simultaneously, and ultimately a pathway to an in-demand job.

Humez took classes in the Mechanical Technology degree program during his junior and senior years at Central Square High School. He received his diploma last year, then became a full-time student at OCC.

During the summer between high school and college he took advantage of a valuable internship opportunity at Novelis, a steel mill in Oswego. "I learned quite a bit there and got a lot of hands-on experience."

Humez will complete work toward his Mechanical Technology degree next month, just one year after graduating from high school. He's beginning the process of looking for a job related to his degree program and plans to work and live in the area.