Meet instructional assistant Lee Burke
by Vicki Heisser |
This semester, Army non-commissioned officer Lee Burke has joined PWSC as an instructional assistant through the Department of Defense Skillbridge Transition Assistance Program. This program enables active-duty service members to transition out of their units early and work as civilian interns during their final months of service.
Lee, a certified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic with extensive mechanical experience and education, will be in his element as an instructional assistant for PWSC’s millwright and marine services technician courses.
Growing up near Skipperville, Alabama, at a young age Lee knew he wanted to pursue a career in A&P mechanics.
“The town that I lived in is near Fort Rucker, Alabama, which is the largest rotary wing training base in the world. It just made sense to pursue A&P mechanics. While I was in high school, I took college classes at the same time. I decided to pursue mechanics as a career and graduated with my A&P license about four months after graduating from high school.
Shortly after that, I secured a job at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation where I built the Romeo Model Seahawks, the Turkish B models, and the Jayhawks for the Coast Guard. In mid-2011, the corporation made some huge workforce reductions…so I decided to join the military. It was a good decision, the military has provided me with great educational opportunities, benefits, and experiences.”
Now here in Valdez, Lee is joined by his wife, Samantha, who is originally from Valdez, and their two children, Atli and Remi. Having visited Valdez many times over the years, Lee and his family are excited to be back.
For Lee, working at PWSC is something that he is really looking forward to.
“What I look forward to and am excited about is not just sharing mechanical information and learning new things but interacting with the students. That's the big thing that I really enjoy.”