Robert Padgett is the Lead Electrical Instructor at the Jacksonville campus. Robert has been in the electrical construction industry for 47 years and was instrumental in putting together the new Electrical Applications (Electrician Training) program. Thank you for your time Robert; tell us about your role. I’ve been at Tulsa Welding School since November 2011, […]
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Faculty Feature – Meet Matthew Wilson
Matt Wilson is a Lead Instructor at the Jacksonville campus, currently teaching Phase 10 to the morning class. He has been teaching at Tulsa Welding School for almost 18 months. How long have you been in the field Matt? I went to a technical college to learn welding when I was 18, straight out of […]
Read MoreFaculty Feature – Meet Michael Smith
Michael D. Smith is the Lead Pipefitting Instructor at the Tulsa campus. He has been teaching at Tulsa Welding School for about three years; he first started work in the pipefitting field in 1977. How long have you been in the field, Mike? I started in 1977, but I got out for about 15 years, […]
Read MoreFaculty Feature – Meet Steven Chavez
Steven is a Senior Welding Instructor at Tulsa Welding School & Technology Center in Houston. Lately, he has been teaching the 125 Capstone night class, the final course of the Welding Specialist program. But as a senior instructor, he’s available to teach any course in the program, so he often moves around. Thanks for speaking […]
Read MoreFaculty Feature – Meet Ike Dru
Ike is an Instructor at the Tulsa campus. A Native American – half Cheyenne, half Arickara – Ike has been teaching at Tulsa Welding School for two years. After leaving the Army, Ike had a variety of odd jobs including time as an apprentice carpenter. Ike started welding in his mid 20s, about 20 years […]
Read MoreGrad Connection – Meet Tolu Atakenu
Tolu Atakenu, aged 29, moved to Montana from Nigeria in 2011. After three years working in health care as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Tolu decided he wanted to change direction and enrolled at Tulsa Welding School. He graduated from the Professional Welder program in March 2015. Thank you for sharing your story Tolu; health […]
Read MoreGrad Connection – Meet Matt Bagby
Matt Bagby, age 20, was born and raised near St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from the Professional Welder program in May 2015, having started at TWS just six months out of high school. Thank you for your time Matt; what brought you to a welding career? I first tried welding when I was 12; my […]
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