Nestled in the small city of Cohoes, NY, flow waterfalls that come second only to Niagara Falls in size within the state of New York. Cohoes Falls is a historic destination providing water to the Erie Canal to connect Buffalo to the Hudson River.
Depending on the time of year, day and weather conditions, a series of dams must be operated to keep water from overflowing and flooding. This is done using hydroelectric power and has been since 1915. Students in the Career and Technical Institute’s Trade Electric program visited the falls to take a closer look at what a career in electricity could look like.
For student Steven Sprauer, this trip served as an opportunity to explore career possibilities that he had not previously considered. While he had been enjoying exploring the many career disciplines available to him through the program (residential installations, powerlines, telecommunications, etc), hydroelectricity as an option piqued his interest on this trip. As a student, Sprauer felt that the trip to the plant was personalized and that the employees giving the tour made the experience relatable, speaking to their backgrounds and what brought them to where they are today in their careers. “Hearing about their day-to-day really motivated me to work hard for my future,” Sprauer said. “Those guys obviously enjoy their jobs and it was really exciting to see them work.”
Sprauer also noted how inspiring it was to visit such a historic plant, stating that seeing how long the systems and machinery have been in use made it obvious to him that what he is studying will always be important.
Student Ethan Sullivan shared that hands-on learning is nothing new to his experience in Hayes’ class. Whether they are going on field trips to a variety of factories and plants or utilizing the in-classroom equipment, Hayes’ class is prepared for the abundance of opportunities that await them after graduation. “It was cool because it was much more sophisticated than what we have here, but I was able to understand what was going on because of what we have here and what we’ve learned,” Sullivan shared. “Mr. Hayes is a good teacher and we’ve learned a lot during the program.”
