Articles

HCC Central student earns apprenticeship at WSB, motivated to become engineer

By Donald Sparks, HCC Central Communications Director

Apr 10, 2025

Despite early success in her academic journey, Maia Kemp felt something was missing in her life.

As a homeschool student she took classes through Houston Community College’s dual credit program and following graduation, she attended University of New Orleans where she maintained a 4.0 grade point average. Yet, still, something was missing, and she dropped out of college.

“I took time off because I was dealing with a lack of motivation,” Kemp said. "I needed guidance and direction.”

She mentioned she was sinking deeper into student loan debt, which demotivated her to complete college.

After her break from school, she returned to HCC to seek a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) certification with the hope of pursuing an engineering degree. Kemp discovered an internship opportunity with HCC’s industry partner WSB and applied for and was selected to the program.

Based out of Minneapolis, Minn., WSB is a design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, community planning, environmental, and construction services; offering services in more than 50 complementary areas across the nation.

HCC and WSB signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 to train and support apprentices to earn their Associate of Science degree in Drafting/Design.

“We strive to balance what contributions an apprentice can make to WSB and our clients along with what we can do to develop them through exposure and training on multiple parts of our services and solutions,” said Waymon Votaw, vice president, Energy Utilities Operations.

“I am so grateful that the apprenticeship program accepted me,” Kemp said. “I now feel as though I know my purpose and know how to move forward in my academic and professional careers.”

The experience in the apprenticeship has changed her perspective about the engineering industry. To her surprise, she was not placed in a solitary environment where she would only engage managers at their expense. She admitted her WSB coworkers and leadership actively include her on projects and takes time to provide mentorship.

“I never feel as if I am just an apprentice,” Kemp said. “I always feel like a valued contributor on a team doing important work for public safety.”

The apprenticeship did not come without any challenges. She had to learn new systems and applications and CAD principles and tasks. To overcome those challenges, Kemp relied on her supervisors and colleagues to provide her with advice.

Votaw praised Kemp as a valued member of his team.

“Maia fits this model well because of her intelligence and rapid absorption of new information, and through a willingness to raise her hand and work to solve new and challenging problems,” he said.

Serving as an apprenticeship ambassador, Tammy Nobles expressed the importance of connecting students like Kemp to companies seeking new workers or willing to train them.

“We are thrilled about our growing partnership with WSB and the incredible opportunities it brings to our students,” said Nobles, business and community outreach coordinator, HCC Work-Based Learning Department. “Programs like the CAD Tech Apprenticeship not only equip students with valuable, hands-on experience, but also allow them to earn while they learn. It’s partnerships like this that truly help bridge the gap between education and career success.”

Overall, the apprenticeship has exposed Kemp to learning CAD, data analysis, systems application training, engineering project management, and business experience.

“I believe that apprenticeships are valuable, because they give you real world experience and exposure to a field of interest at a time when you are looking for your path,” Kemp said. “It is like a sample of the career you could have and what it will really be like. You can ask specific questions to the people around you, and you can apply what you learn into everyday scenarios to better understand it.”