Nicholas Vidrine delivered an outstanding speech as valedictorian of his Mechatronics class in 2015. Following a short stint at Volkswagen, he was offered positions at several manufacturing facilities around the southeast, and settled on Michelin in South Carolina who recently hired him as a maintenance technician.

Before entering the Mechatronics program, Nicholas was a mechanic and computer programmer who said, “Mechatronics seemed like the next logical step. It is a great foundation to build off of if you are interested in engineering technology and I believe it is a must before pursuing a career in almost any type of engineering.”

He believes Chattanooga State was instrumental in preparing him for his new career with “great instructors on campus and at VW” that included Ralph Gwaltney, Bart Tant, Charles Beck, and Joe Russell.