When Lia Douglas realized her plan to attend a four-year university wasn’t going to happen, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.    

“I was kind of crushed,” she said. “That was always the dream that I had.” 

But as it turned out, changing course was exactly what Douglas needed to do to attain the college goals she never even knew she had. Douglas is one of six Lorain County Community College students selected by Intel Corp to complete an internship at the company’s Arizona facility. For six months this summer, Douglas will be working within the Corporate Services division, assigned to Water Treatment and Reclamation. 

“From what I understand, it’s very hands on at Intel and it’s a lot of moving around the facility, which is always my favorite kind of work,” Douglas said. “I’m excited and they’re excited about me coming there. That’s the greatest feeling.” 

All six interns were chosen from LCCC’s micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) programs. In fall 2023, Douglas earned an associate of applied science MEMS and this fall, she plans to enroll in the Bachelor of Applied Science in MEMS.  

“After being in the MEMS program and having these incredible opportunities, I feel so much better about where I’m at,” Douglas said. “I’ve still found a way to have my college dream.” 

Getting an early pre-engineering start 

Douglas has always loved all things engineering. And it started early.   

“I was the kid that would get little robot kits and Lego sets for Christmas,” Douglas said. “And my mom would get mad because they’d be really expensive, and I’d have them all built in one day.” 

To compensate for the money spent on Lego sets, Douglas used her high school days to get a financial head start on her future engineering education. The Grafton native attended both Midview High School and the Lorain County Joint Vocational School. She also began taking College Credit Plus courses at LCCC during her sophomore year.  

In 2019, Douglas graduated with her high school diploma from Midview, a Career-Technical Certification in Computerized Design and Drafting from the JVS, and an additional 19 credits from LCCC. The following fall she enrolled full time at LCCC with a solid plan. 

“I was going to attend LCCC, earn my associate degree in two years, and then transfer to a state university to earn my bachelor’s degree in engineering.” 

But life had other plans. The COVID-19 pandemic stalled her progress and Douglas’s two-year plan stretched into three. Her finances took an unexpected hit and Douglas needed to reassess.  

“I realized that I didn’t have the means to go to a state university at that point,” she said. “So, I decided that I could either burn all of my savings on one year’s tuition of college, or I could change my trajectory a little bit.” 

Douglas chose change.  

Choosing MEMS and Ohio First 

At first, Douglas had doubts about the MEMS program. She knew about it and had taken a tour of the lab spaces. But her background was mechanical, and the electrical component made her nervous.  

The answers to two questions asked of MEMS program director Johnny Vanderford eased her mind. First, she asked him what students needed to know before going into the program. His answer? Nothing. 

“He said, ‘We’ll teach you everything. We’re starting from the ground up.’”  

Then she asked about job prospects after graduation. Vanderford told Douglas that LCCC’s MEMS program has had a 100 percent job placement rate for its graduates. And that most of those graduates received job offers before graduating. 

With that, Douglas was sold. She enrolled in fall 2022 and already had about one third of her courses completed. Within the first week she was soldering the tiny, printed circuit board components in a cleanroom. 

“I had never done that before,” she said. “I almost find it therapeutic to be able to work on such small things like that. The hands-on stuff has been fantastic.”  

Beyond finding an accelerated new career trajectory, Douglas has also received a financial boost. She’s a two-year recipient of Choose Ohio First, a state program that provides competitive scholarships to LCCC students who enroll in eligible STEM programs. 

“Getting the Choose Ohio First scholarship took a huge weight off of my shoulders, and not just financially,” Douglas said. “A big part of it is being involved in your field beyond the classroom. I could talk to peers through the same experiences I had. And I had help updating my resume and preparing for interviews.” 

Applying her learning at Lincoln Electric 

Before interviewing with Intel, Douglas landed a job with Lincoln Electric, where she’ll continue working until she leaves for Arizona. Douglas began as an intern in January 2023 and, after the internship ended, transitioned to engineering and technician support consultant. In that role, she does a lot of troubleshooting on the equipment she’s become so familiar with in the MEMS labs at LCCC. Douglas’s work at Lincoln Electric and her learning at LCCC have been mirror images of each other. 

“It’s given me a lot of confidence in the work that I do,” she said. “I can come to one of my instructors and say, ‘Hey, this thing has been kind of going on at work; do you might have any advice on how I can fix that?’ Or I can go to my supervisors and say, ‘Hey, I just started learning this application in my classes; what do you think about applying it to what we’re doing right now?’”  

Douglas said this immediate application of lab learning helped give her the resume she needed to snag the Intel internship. And as she looks forward to the summer opportunity of a lifetime, she’s feeling confident in the decision she made to stay at LCCC.  

“I’m getting the exact same experience that a lot of my friends at four-year universities are getting, but at not even a fraction of the cost,” Douglas said. “I’m getting just as many, if not more opportunities. And I’m so incredibly grateful for that.”