Mark Telles
Education at Owens Community College is not only for students. The College proudly offers trainings for various businesses around the region. For Mark Telles, this year’s Applied Engineering and Industrial Technologies Outstanding Graduate, a training offered through his employer helped pave his path to success at Owens.
Telles worked in the fitness industry for years and when the pandemic hit, he got a job at First Solar. He advanced in the company multiple times and joined the maintenance department in 2021. “Through an accelerated tech training program held at Owens, I was able to complete my Industrial Maintenance Certification,” he said. Following completion, Telles and his advisor, Janice Skaggs, developed a path toward his associate degree. “After starting the classes offered by First Solar at Owens, I was able to truly see the possibility of furthering my education,” Telles said.
Due to working a full-time job, Telles said the flexible schedule at Owens contributed to his success. “The evening class availability and passion of the instructors truly made Owens work for me,” he said
In his time at Owens, Telles was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, an international honor society for two-year college students.
After graduation, Telles will further his new career as a Nuclear Instrumentation and Controls Specialist at Davis-Besse.
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Published May 2023