A pair of Windsor Central High School graduates returned to their alma mater Friday to help students interested in an engineering career.

Zach Adornato and Austin Kibbler are both software engineers at BAE Systems and members of the WCHS Class of 2019. They spoke to the WCHS Intro to Engineering, Civil Engineering/Architecture, and Engineering Design/Development classes, providing an overview of careers, a look at current projects, and guidance on entering the profession.

“Having a breadth of knowledge is a big thing. Getting exposure to all the career paths and opportunities in college you can take advantage of is important. It’s good to have an idea of what you want to do but going in undeclared is a good thing as well because it’s daunting to pick a career path right away,” said Kibbler.

Kibbler knows the need to stay open-minded first-hand. He entered college to study to become a veterinarian before switching to engineering.

“I wasn’t enjoying my major and had exposure to PLTW (Project Lead the Way) in Windsor, so I swapped,” said Kibbler.

Adornato had advice for those who have a better idea of what they want to do.

“Follow your passion. If something interests you and you really enjoy it, pursue it. You might be doing it every day for the rest of your life. Finding something you really enjoy that interests you every day is important. We’re giving them exposure to help them know better what they want to do before they leave here,” said Adornato.

The pair discussed what engineering course loads look like in college and different career paths within engineering.

“I do have a bit better idea what electrical engineering would look like if I went to BAE Systems,” said WCHS senior Tristan Stochel, who plans to study electromechanical engineering. “I learned about ELDP classes which are like PLTW except for BAE systems.”

Educators hope this visit helps students see their futures more clearly.

“They are Windsor grads who went into technical subjects, and they give kids an idea of what that process looks like. They provide them with pointers on how to be successful on that journey. They tell kids, ‘You can do it.,’” said WCHS engineering teacher Mark Wentka.