BREMERTON, Wash. –
When Alexandra Kopecky, refrigerator technician, Shop 06, Tooling and Maintenance, started at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in 2018 as a helper-trainee for Shop 38, Marine Machinery Mechanics, she was unsure of what she wanted to do long-term, but she knew she wanted more.
“At the time, I wasn’t confident in myself, but I was looking for a way to improve my life,” she said. “I had an inclination toward working with machines, but I saw information about the after-hours program on-line and decided to call.”
That call led her to David Tift, Academics Program manager for Command University, who helped outline the program for her and ultimately change the trajectory of her career.
“It changed everything,” she said. “He got me in touch with Dr. Bonnie Adams and she helped me come up with a plan. I was blind going into the process, but she helped me chart a path. She showed me what the next few years could look like. It all became clearer.”
Today, Kopecky is close to completing her degree in Organizational and Business Leadership.
She is just one of the many PSNS & IMF employees using the Olympic College After-Hours Program to reach her professional goals.
The program allows PSNS & IMF employees to take up to 30 credits per fiscal year for classes that support the shipyard’s mission or a position within the command. Interested employees must register through Command University, but Command University will pay the students tuition and fees up front. Employees accepted into the program must pay for their own books and materials. In addition, they must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to meet the requirements of the program.
“Honestly, I was really nervous when I began,” Kopecky said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to go to school after working all day in the shipyard. I wasn’t sure if I was ready.”
All of those fears were dispelled once she began her academic journey. Going to class online allowed her to work at her own pace. She took advantage of the school's free tutoring program and contacted her instructors when she had questions.
Kopecky thinks the Olympic College After-Hours Program is particularly beneficial to her because it allows her the option to customize her academic path based on her life needs, while balancing her busy schedule as a full-time worker, a wife and a mother. While she does need to take some classes at the OC campus, she said her instructors have helped her work through any conflicts that come up.
As she works toward her degree, Kopecky says she's found that her classes are having a positive impact on her at work as well.
“I’ve really learned how to work with people more effectively,” she said. “Learning about different learning styles and how to tackle problems from different angles has helped me communicate better.”
In addition to more professional knowledge, Kopecky has discovered an entirely new support system of fellow shipyard workers who were going through the same process.
“I bump into people I go to school with all the time,” she said. “We exchange recommendations, encourage one another, give each other information. It is something that binds us together.”
PSNS & IMF employees interested in the after-hours program for the Summer Quarter will have their first opportunity to register in May. Employees should contact Command University at 360- 689-8838 or email the program at PSNSAcademicprograms@us.navy.mil
For employees who are interested but still have doubts, Kopecky encourages them to make the jump.
“Looking back, I was at the point where I had to make a choice,” she said. “I asked myself, ‘If I don’t start this now, when will I ever do it? The longer I put this off, the longer it will take me to complete.’ I would suggest people who are nervous about this to not box themselves in (with inaction). I didn’t know what I was capable of before I started, but I’m glad I did.”