Success at ANY age

Coming Full Circle

Posted on June 20, 2016 in “Staff”

Custodian-turned-engineer Michael Vaudreuil hired by aerospace firm Pratt & Whitney

For years, he hustled juggling a full schedule of classes with a full-time, second-shift custodial job. And most of the time in between (what little of it he had) was spent on his coursework and his Major Qualifying Project; he even picked up the occasional plastering gig, too.

But Michael Vaudreuil—maybe the name sounds familiar?—has finally gotten his payoff. The custodian-turned-engineer, whose story went viral after WPI’s 148th commencement ceremony on May 14, has accepted a position at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut. As of July 11, he will be an engineer with the aerospace manufacturer’s Production Integrated Product Team (PIPT).

“I’m going to quote one of my favorite movies—they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” the 54-year-old says with a laugh (and shame on you if you don’t get the reference). “I’m looking forward to the satisfaction and fulfillment that will come with the job.”

It’s a fitting start to a new chapter of his life.

Vaudreuil’s story—enduring setback after professional setback, losing his home, his life savings, and for a while, his hope—has resonated with millions. From NBC Nightly News, to the UK’s Independent, dozens of media outlets around the world picked up the story about the middle-aged custodian who earned his mechanical engineering degree from the university he cleaned at night. One video of him graduating garnered more than 11 million views.

“I was certainly welcoming of it, because I thought it would help networking-wise,” he says of the media attention. “To the degree that it took off was a bit surprising. It was almost an out-of-body experience. You see this happen, things go viral—now it’s happening to me.”

Following his segment on NBC Nightly News, four people from Pratt & Whitney reached out to him on the same day, independently of each other. It was flattering, he recalled, because he could tell they saw something in him. Tom Prete, vice president, Engineering, at Pratt & Whitney, said the firm is proud to hire the recent WPI grad.

“Pratt & Whitney engineers design and develop products that change the world. As we continue to grow our global workforce, we are proud to add Michael Vaudreuil to our talented team,” says Prete. “Our employees are critical to our success and the reason we are in the midst of one of the most exciting chapters in our company’s history.”

“I feel like I kind of won the lottery,” Vaudreuil says.

Still, he hasn’t let any of that deter him from his goal. “I really haven’t lost sight of the eye-on-the-prize type of thinking,” he says. “Getting that job is always what it’s been about. That’s the moment I fought for, for so hard, all of those years.”

Right now, he’s still working as a custodian at WPI—which he expects to continue through June—but his Auburn home is up for sale and he’ll soon be relocating to Connecticut. Both he and his wife, Joyce, (whom he credits with supporting him wholeheartedly throughout the trying and emotional process of earning his degree) are looking forward to the move.

In his new position, he’ll be working in the Hot Section Engineering division at Pratt & Whitney, which deals with jet engine combustion chambers, and turbine and exhaust systems. For him, it was a perfect fit, because years ago, he earned an associate’s degree in aeronautical technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Ultimately—beyond moving on with his new life and his new job—Vaudreuil says he hopes the media attention helps change the perception of older graduates and job candidates.

“This last year was filled with a lot of anticipation and excitement, but also trepidation,” he recalls. “The reality was sinking in that I was going to be a 54-year-old graduate.”

Sometimes, he notes, the life experiences of older job candidates can get overlooked or taken for granted, or there’s a stereotype that their better days are behind them and they’re just riding it out to retirement.

But as is clear with Vaudreuil, never assume, never underestimate—and never give up. “Nobody’s going to question my work ethic, my energy level or my desire,” he says.

– BY TARYN PLUMB

See national coverage of Michael’s story here:

NBC.com

Washington Post

Boston Globe

CBS Boston

U.S. News University

Telegram &  Gazette.

Original story link. 

July/August Artscope: Gloria King Merritt

Making Lemonade in Vermont

July/August 2016

Gloria King Merritt’s Happy Accident

by Taryn Plumb

It basically started out as a fluke.

Four years ago, a tendon snapped in Gloria King Merritt’s thumb (the result of a 40-year-old injury). Her hand had to be rewired; she couldn’t do the simplest things, like fasten buttons or tie her shoes.

Her doctors told her that in order to get her dexterity back, she should repetitively make quarter-inch marks with a pencil on a pad. That got old pretty quickly; it was not only boring, but mind-numbing.

So instead, she picked up a tablet and a stylus and began experimenting with digital art. As she put it, she “devoured” software, and within 12 weeks, had a complete drawing.

“Now I’m addicted,” said the Woodstock, Vermont-based digital artist, whose work will be on display through July 17 as part of “Domesticated Beasts and Dreams of Home: Early Summer Group Show,” also featuring works by Bonnie Barnes, Joe Fucigna, Julie Goetz, Cynthia Kirkwood, John Matusz, Charlotte Potter and Mark Eliot Schwabe at The Bundy Modern, just off Route 100 on Bundy Road in Waitsfield, VT.

To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Click here to find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.

May/June Artscope: The State of Clay in Lexington

Beyond Pots and Figurines

May/June 2016

The State of Clay in Lexington

by Taryn Plumb

Clay: What does the word bring to mind? Earthenware pots sold along a desert road amidst swirls of dust? Armies of identical figurines? Mass-made tchotchkes?

Then you’ve never really seen what clay can do.

The 9th Biennial State of Clay, to be held May 7 through June 5 at the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society in Lexington, Mass., features the work of more than 60 Massachusetts artists who work the medium in a variety of unexpected and inventive ways.

“It’s a very diverse range of work, from sculptural, to functional, to wall pieces, representing very different statements and views,” said Joan Carcia, a potter who co-founded the exhibition with Abrams.

Since it was conceived in 1997, the show has featured more than 300 artists from across the Commonwealth. This year’s finalists were culled from 154 applicants who live in, work in, or otherwise have ties to Massachusetts. Nearly 500 pieces were submitted, with those appearing in the show handpicked by renowned ceramicist Wayne Higby of Alfred University in New York State.

“It’s a very strong art that is really gaining its deserved reputation,” said Abrams, a retired drama teacher who picked up wheel-throwing after college and has spent the last several years experimenting with clay in a variety of ways. “We’ve really come to appreciate how strong the ceramic community is in Massachusetts. This is a very productive state in terms of ceramic expression and links between ceramic artists.”

To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Click here to find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.

May/June Artscope: Arnie Casavant's Seasonal Expressions

Exploring Light and Shadow

May/June 2016

Casavant’s Seasonal Expressions

by Taryn Plumb

For Arnie Casavant, it’s not the subject itself that entices — but the light hitting it, giving it life, shadow, color, dimension, personality.

“It’s the time of day that it’s painted,” said the Quincy artist. “I have absolutely no interest in painting from 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. It’s the least inspiring time. The colors just aren’t there for me. The sunlight in the morning and the evening provides me with a dramatic effect on a subject.”.

“I want people to notice the atmosphere, the color,” said Casavant, who retired in 2005 from his 27-year career as an art teacher at Oliver Ames High School in Easton. In his ongoing study of light — much of which he does plein air — Casavant creates an unmistakable sense of movement.

“Boston Public Garden,” for instance, depicts a familiar scene: The bridge over the lagoon, portions of the business district flanking the background. However, Casavant’s unique perspective creates a sense of movement, an impression of freshly falling snow. Meanwhile, in “Country Road,” his airy brush strokes allow viewers to feel a summer breeze nudging the field grass and the tree branches.

GUIDING LIGHT:

As he described it, he was “always attracted to light, always aware of light.” As a kid, he recalled noticing the rays of light streaming into his family’s apartment in a Fall River triple-decker; later, after graduating from high school, he had that same awareness when he was working in the city’s mills. Even today, he enjoys the sunset every night — and the first thing he does when he takes his dog out for a walk every morning is look up at the sky to see where the sun is, and what colors are in play.

Meanwhile, he is also drawn to the subjects that often blur into the background of everyday life. For instance, tankers carrying natural gas and rock salt into Boston Harbor, or the rusting and gritty overpasses of the highway systems running in and around Boston. “I found the beauty in the urbanscape,” said Casavant. “As artists, at least representational artists, we look for the beauty in things.”

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