Ivy Tech design technology alumni turns blueprints into reality

BLOOMINGTON – Ivy Tech Community College alumna Rosetta Smith graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Design Technology in May 2015. She was offered a job before she completed her final semester and is now working at Indiana Quarries and Carvers in Stinesville, Ind. In her role as Draftsman, she creates CAD drawings from blueprints of architectural limestone features.

“In my position I feel like I am turning someone’s dream in to a reality,” said Smith. “I am one of the first people to have my hands on someone’s plans for their home, business or landscape. I enjoy being able to talk with my clients and make sure they are going to love the outcome of their project. We work with clients all over the USA and Canada and I get to follow the process from beginning to end.”

Smith said her training at Ivy Tech prepared her well for this technical field.

“Ivy Tech gave me the knowledge to be able to use AutoCad efficiently enough to be able to work with draftsmen with over 10 years of experience,” said Smith. “I have been able to solely work on projects using Solidworks, which has set me apart from my fellow draftsmen. With my knowledge of Solidworks, I was able to offer Indiana Quarries and Carvers the next cutting edge technology leap that they wanted. Without Ivy Tech I never would have been able to jump right into the career of making dreams come true and with just two years of experience in the job field I am depended on as a reliable asset to this company.”

Smith learned about Ivy Tech in high school, seeing her mother complete her Ivy Tech accounting degree while battling breast cancer and raising Smith and her brother. Smith attended the Hoosier Hills Career Center and earned nine Ivy Tech credits while still in high school, and enrolled at Ivy Tech after graduation. She also married and became pregnant so she juggled school and family life.

Smith worked closely with her advisors, Kirk Barnes and Vanessa Babcock, to create a schedule that fit her needs.

“Kirk and Vanessa were able to work my class schedule around my full-time job and parenting needs,” she said. “I was able to complete schooling quickly while raising an infant and working a solid full-time job while making the dean’s list every semester.”

When Smith became a single parent she could no longer continue her classes and had to put her college degree on hold. When her son started kindergarten, she saw an opportunity to re-enroll.

“When my son started kindergarten and I was able to provide care for him and live on my own, I went back to school and applied for scholarships that allowed me to go back and only pay book fees,” she said. “Because the curriculum had changed, it was tricky to know what classes would be accepted. However, Vanessa Babcock helped me go over the classes I had already taken, and they were all accepted. Just one year later I graduated and landed a job that is just eight minutes from my home. It’s truly amazing what Vanessa did for me.”

Smith said she keeps in contact with her former instructors and sometimes consults them if she has questions about a project.

Smith also said that Ivy Tech was financially the best college option for her.

“I was able to complete my degree in the right amount of time for me and they offered many grant and loan options so that I am not going to be paying for this for the rest of my life,” she said. “I felt happy walking out of Ivy Tech knowing I was going to be working towards my other goals and not just working to pay it all off.”

For information about the Ivy Tech design technology degree, visit ivytech.edu/design-technology. For information about how to apply to Ivy Tech, visit www.ivytech.edu/applynow.