Alumni Stories - Felicia Nichols

“At the time, I was bringing my sons over there for a welding demonstration, and it really piqued my own interest, so I decided to enroll.

“Well, because I had an educational background as far as teaching, I decided that this is what I wanted to do, which was to teach welding. So I moved to that, I needed to really study hard, learn how to weld and grasp the concept of welding. After I graduated, I inquired and I became the first African American female welding instructor at York Tech.” 

Felicia had the wisdom to recognize that her passion needed to shift, and the determination to pursue her newfound career. As she has demonstrated, it is truly never too late to discover your passion. Felicia has encountered her share of challenges throughout her career, but she says that York Tech played a crucial role in helping her build confidence as a female professional:  

“I find as a woman being in a field such as welding, which is predominantly male dominated, it helped me with confidence. There’s still a lot of men over there, so it just helped me to have that confidence to walk into these spaces and still be very fruitful.” 

Despite the difficulties Felicia faced, her determination surpassed the challenges, allowing her to make a continuous impact in the field of welding. Previously having graduated from a four year university, Felicia offers this advice for students who are unsure of their next step, and why they should choose York Tech: 

“The great support system. If I ever needed anything, staff members were great and even some instructors that were not my instructors, were helpful and supportive.

“The community, especially right now, York Tech is doing some amazing things. I attended a four year university, and I received more support with York Tech and felt like it was more of a community here than I ever did at my four-year program.

“I would say, especially for a student that does not want to go to school at all, that York Technical College would be great for them. Like I said, there is a strong sense of community. Furthermore, there are a lot of different opportunities and scholarships available at York Tech that donors seek out over other programs. All students are able to get a quality education in a short amount of time for a great value.” 

Felicia's unwavering determination and perseverance have firmly rooted her in the legacy of York Tech. She serves as a testament that it is never too late to discover a new passion in life. With flexible scheduling that fit your needs and faculty and staff that continuously offer support, York Tech is the perfect place to discover and nurture that passion.