ELYRIA, OH – Three students this week became the first graduates at Lorain County Community College to receive bachelor’s degrees in microelectronic manufacturing.

In 2018, LCCC became the first community college in Ohio to offer an applied bachelor's degree in MEMS and the first community college in the US.

Brandon Filker, DeAndre Lurry and Jared Dumont all landed full-time jobs in the field before graduating.

"This degree is tailored to what companies want," Lurry said, who received an offer as an engineering technologist. "So, you know you're getting hands-on and direct skills to set you up for a career. My job opportunity came directly from connections through LCCC.

"Words can't explain what this program has meant to me. I don't know anywhere else where I could get a four-year specialized degree in the microelectronic manufacturing field. Not only that, but at a community college where it's affordable."

Filker received a job offer from Q-Lab in March. He's now an electrical assembly technician, building the electrical components of the company's UV testers, preparing sub-assemblies, and soldering.

Dumont is an operations manager and process engineer at PCBx, which fabricates custom-printed PCBs, assemblies, and wire harnesses.

"I plan to continue working with this company for as long as I am capable," Dumont said. "They have plans to standardize their procedures and grow their capabilities. The degree-specific classes are almost a playbook for setting a company up to expand, and I aspire to be an integral part of that growth.

"I discovered the value of investing in myself. I was able to chip away at the raw material I used to be made of to find the value I am. I've never been happier than I am these days and it's in no small way because of this college and the opportunities it's opened for me."

"This is a ground-breaking accomplishment for everyone involved," said LCCC president Marcia J. Ballinger, Ph.D. "From the Ohio Department of Higher Education that recognized the industry need and had confidence in our institution to meet it, to our faculty who pioneered this program and intertwined work experience at every turn, to our three graduates who blazed a new trail in education, everyone deserves recognition for this moment and the years of hard work that led to it."

The applied bachelor's program and associate degree at the school reportedly have had 100% job placement for its graduates.

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