Plumbing student is building a future with her own hands

Growing up, Vanessa always admired the dedication and resilience in hands-on work. Raised in a large, hardworking family, she didn’t have to look far for examples of skill and perseverance. Her grandparents in the Philippines worked in agriculture—a tradition carried on by other family members. In Hamilton, her dad built his career as a machinist. 

But Vanessa didn’t immediately see herself following the same route. After taking a year off and considering a business degree, she found herself coming back to the kind of work she’d grown up around. That full-circle moment led her to Mohawk College’s Construction Techniques – Plumbing program, where she’s building her own pipeline into the trades with an enterprising mindset.  

“This program allows me to combine practical problem-solving with the satisfaction of creating reliable work,” she says. “I aim to continue my family’s tradition of hard work while building a stable future for myself and those I care about.” 

Read the full story in the Mohawk College blog: Continuing a family tradition in the trades

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