On Friday, April 26, 2024, Catholic Central held a STEM Careers Drive Development Day teaching students about the various STEM careers they can go into after graduation.

The presentation was hosted by Mrs. Amy Ely, Director of STEM, and featured two guest speakers, including Michael Spillane ‘10 from White Lake, who works as a Powertrain Engineer at Rivian, and Michael Rose ‘03, Associate Director of Ground Vehicle Robotics at Detroit Arsenal in Warren. 

Spillane spoke first. During his presentation, he discussed computer, mechanical, and electrical engineering as he does equal amounts of these in his job in automotive testing. He brought in an example of an LV-box, which is one of the ways he conducts automotive testing at work. 

“I’m here today to show you what you can do with a STEM career. What I found in my life is that I was more inspired to get into STEM if I saw what I could do with it,” he told students.

“I saw the Catholic Central Robotics team present their robot and they were speaking really well about technology, but some of the other students might not be as knowledgeable about this field. So that’s why it was important for me to speak to students today. Instead of saying to them, ‘Go to school and learn,’ I want to show them some things to motivate them and not just excite them because excitement and motivation are not the same,” Spillane stated.

His advice to students was to go into a field of engineering that they are passionate about and that is in high demand. “You have to think about what you want to do with your degree as opposed to where you want to go,” he stated. 

“I wanted to do something that involved going fast and it opened a lot of doors for me. Look at what college best fits what you want to do. Visit them and see what they can offer you. When you find something you really like doing, you could go get your Master’s degree or PhD. Some companies will even pay for this,” Spillane continued. 

Rose spoke next. During his presentation, he discussed robotics as it pertains to the military. “As Associate Director of Ground Vehicle Robotics, we are part of the Army dedicated to doing science and technology. I’m not a soldier. I’m an engineer. The army hires engineers and scientists to build the next technology and weapons our soldiers use to keep them alive and protect our nation,” Rose stated.

Rose explained to students how his team uses robots, drones, and vehicles to protect soldiers during battle. He showed examples of different robots and how engineers built them and got them into the hands of soldiers. He also showed students a video of his team doing training with their robots to ensure their equipment works properly in real-life scenarios. 

“I’m very thankful to work for a value-based ethical Army because these are life and death decisions. And we get to play with cool toys, which is great. It’s hard work, but you can do hard things when you’re really interested in it,” Rose stated. 

Rose holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Michigan and stated that he didn't get into robotics and computer science right away. For students interested in following a STEM career, he recommended joining an internship to get hands-on experience and determine if that’s the area they want to go in. 

Spillane and Rose each ended their discussions by taking questions from students. 

Two more Drive Development Days remain this year, including a Data Analysis Workshop on May 3 and Law Enforcement Day on May 10. For more information and to register, please see our Drive Development Page.