Charles Solomon (ET) will continue his National Guard service when he leaves Temple. His hands-on interests are unsurprising.
Charles Solomon liked to put things together as a kid. And take them apart. He also took to learning why they failed, if they did.
"I really took to engineering in high school. We'd do a lot of hands-on work: auto CAD, build towers out of straws and popsicle sticks. Make cars out of mouse traps," he laughed. "Everything was building, testing. If it didn't work, you had to go back and find out why."
Prodding for answers is only part of what takes up 24-hours of Solomon's day. He has also served in the National Guard since 2013. That service is something he will continue as he leaves Temple with his Engineering Technology degree, and he hopes will be part of the culture of where he ends up.
"One employer I interviewed with was very veteran friendly. I'm hoping to land somewhere like that," he said, when describing the employer, a manufacturer of coaxial cables and connectors for military vehicles.
As he told it, his education meshed perfectly with his hands-on interests—something you also need in the National Guard. And both military service and engineering share a similar mindset.
"Being in the Guard, it's hard to explain to someone who didn't go through it," he said. "But the same is true being in engineering school. It's a unique thing."
Not to mention, Solomon is graduating early, meaning he will forego pursuing an internship, as he'd planned to do during his final semester, instead focusing on finishing out his undergraduate career.
"It turns out, I had enough credits, so everything kind of sped up this semester," he said. "Still, the Career Center was a great resource in critiquing my resume and getting me prepared."
He might miss the food trucks, but between his course work, part-time job and service, Solomon is an Owl ready to leave the nest.
"I was not expecting to graduate early, but as much as I love Temple, I'm ready to go!"
Follow our full Next Stop series to see where some of this semester's graduating seniors are headed.