Tompkins Weekly

Technical training helps Lansing grad succeed at RIT


Ivey Card, a Lansing graduate, welding at TST BOCES (left) and standing in front of a statue at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she attends college. Photos provided.

For many high school students, trying to figure out what to do post-graduation is complicated, to say the least. But for Lansing alum Ivey Card, the decision was easy, thanks to her experience throughout high school studying at TST BOCES.

Lansing at Large by Jessica Wickham

Card was born and raised in Lansing, and she’s been defying expectations ever since. She loved participating in sports despite being born with scoliosis and having to live with metal rods in her spine up until her senior year in high school. And that wasn’t the only big change she saw that year.

In her senior year at Lansing, Card spent half of every school day at TST BOCES not far away, studying heavy equipment as the only girl in her class. Card explained what motivated her to venture into this nontraditional area of study.

“My brothers Codey McNeill and Matt Pettigrew both took Auto Tech at TST BOCES, and my sister Tabitha Demus took Cosmetology!” Card said in an email. “Being in the trades has always been a big thing in my family. My dad works at a gravel company, and I used to go to work with him all the time. He taught me how to run equipment and do some things around the shop. I thought it would be cool to learn a little bit more about those kinds of techniques.”

And Card is forever thankful that she seized that opportunity, as her work at TST BOCES eventually led her to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where she is currently majoring in interior design. She told BOCES in a recent press release that she plans to pursue a graduate degree in architecture, largely motivated by her experience during the annual pumpkin carving contest at BOCES.

In this contest, each trade class carved a pumpkin that reflected what their trade does, and Card described her approach.

“Mr. [Dale] Kinney, my teacher, had me help out with my class’ pumpkin carving contest, and we only had a few days, so I had to think of something fast!” she told BOCES. “I had to draw out on paper how exactly I was going to build this with my class, and I created a kind of blueprint. I realized soon that this process I just did was the same process in building a house and I really enjoyed designing it!”

Card enjoyed the work so much that she decided to pursue interior design and architecture to build her skills. In addition, her TST BOCES studies allowed her to receive thousands of dollars in academic scholarships at RIT since her trade background made her a unique kind of student. Card said she has many fond memories from TST BOCES that she carried with her to RIT.

“Some memories from school I have are definitely when our teacher would play games or he would make deals with us such as, ‘if you get this question right, I’ll stop talking and you can get to work,’” she told Tompkins Weekly. “Another thing would be his amazing story telling. He really makes the class fun to be in and definitely has changed my life.”

Card added that Kinney also helped her hone her welding skills, overcoming her initial hesitation.

“I remember my junior year in Mr. Kinney’s class,” she said. “I wouldn’t go near anything sharp or with fire. I was actually scared of the sparks, and it’s interesting to look back and see how far I’ve come past that fear. … Mr. Kinney had me take baby steps on learning how the sparks will not hurt me if I’m wearing the proper equipment and following all the shop safety steps.”

While the pandemic has created plenty of challenges for many students — high school and college alike — Card said that she has actually seen some benefit from it both at Lansing and RIT.

“It actually boosted my motivation in a way even though that is the opposite of what most kids would say, I know,” she said. “I loved the style we started teaching in as we did online such as getting homework and projects on Mondays then having it due on Fridays. Things have gotten more organized since the start of fall 2021, so it has become more of a routine.”

Card is only one semester into college, and already, she’s gone through a lot. She said that she loves her classes and professors and has generally adjusted well to college life. But she faced significant struggles last month due to a bad dirt bike accident in late September.

“I broke my clavicle, shoulder blade and fractured two spinal processors,” she said. “As hard as this accident was, my academic adviser told me I would have to medically drop out of college. I was devastated. However, I would never let this happen. As I was waiting until my surgery I came back up to RIT, I personally talked to my professors explaining my situation, and as far as they were concerned, as long as I came back before the end of the semester, I would be fine to catch up on some work. So, as of right now, I have full mobility in my shoulder. I have been back in school since October 18th and I am slowly proceeding in my athletics in volleyball as well.”

That determination is something Card is quite proud of and plans to continue throughout her life. In the long term, Card is hoping to one day design and build her own house. In the meantime, when she’s not studying, Card enjoys photography, modeling, drawing and journaling.

For any current high school students wondering where post-graduation life will take them, Card offered some words of advice, particularly taking advantage of trade schooling.

“If you do not want to do it because you do not want to be in a male-dominated field or are afraid if people will judge you, then that is the wrong reason to not to give it a shot,” she said. “These are temporary thoughts that will eventually go away. … Most people do not know this, but with this experience, you can work almost anywhere. We learned a little bit of everything. This included auto tech, welding, and many more useful skills.”

And above all: “Never forget your end goal and you will never run out of motivation to get there.”

For more information about TST BOCES, visit tstcte.org.

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