Photo By Sgt. Abraham Morlu | Capt. Patrick Montandon, North Carolina National Guard, interviews Tre’Vaughn Cox,...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, NC – Spc. Tre’Vaughn Cox, of the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG), 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, has taken full advantage of the training, employment, and educational resources available through military service. The NCNG Public Affairs Office sat down with Cox July 18, 2023, to capture how he’s used these tools. Cox’s diligence resulted in being selected as an NC State Goodnight Scholarship recipient. In his mind, staying curious and working hard has made all the difference.
Cox calls Freeport, Bahamas home, and moved to Durham, North Carolina for his senior year of high school. This is when things picked up as he explored his next career decisions.
“I was really curious about literally everything,” said Cox. “I was going to career fairs, and college fairs, and came across a National Guard poster at a desk. This gentleman stood up in uniform, nice, tall, and I was like, ‘I like that!’”
Cox enlisted as a 12T, Technical Engineer. He immediately used his NC Tuition Assistance Program benefits to pursue an associate degree in engineering at Durham Tech. with the hope of transferring to NC State. He also planned to have his education, civilian employment, and military service all in sync to follow his passion of civil engineering.
“I grew up in the Bahamas. My grandfather was a carpenter,” said Cox. “He basically did way more than just carpentry. He was able to build a house from the ground up, he added on to his house, he did the plumbing, electrical work, masonry work. He did it all, and I was able to help him with those projects… Seeing that, I developed an appreciation for that industry, that work.”
Cox took another important action early on by reaching out to Victoria Knott, an employment counselor with the NCNG Employment Center, while at the Recruit Sustainment Program. Knott expressed how she could connect him with Brian Burchett at Sambatek, a civil engineering firm (previously Commercial Site Design). This proved to be a significant touchpoint leading Cox to landing part-time employment as a survey CAD technician at Sambatek.
“Tre’Vaughn reached out for assistance with employment as soon as he heard about our services,” said Knott. “We developed his resume and made the referral to an employer who already had a relationship with our office. We also prepped him for his interview… The rest, as they say, is history.”
“I was thrilled,” said Cox. “Right when I came back from Advanced Individual Training (AIT) I let him, [Burchett], know ‘I'm done with AIT, I'm ready.’ I had an interview and got hired on the spot. Everything worked out. Everything complemented the bigger picture.”
The feeling is mutual as Burchett, his supervisor, expressed Cox is, “Not only a great employee but a great person.” Burchett also expressed his regard for citizen-Soldiers in the civilian workplace. Burchett said they demonstrate “being more organized and mature…” and he would recommend other employers in the field to “hire as many surveyors or engineers as possible!”
“The military will train you, and provide you with all the training that you need foundationally for your position,” said Cox. “People are hungry for military personnel because they know what it comes with. They know that we come with discipline, determination, and ambition on the job.”
Cox reflected on his experience getting assistance from the NCNG Employment Center.
“Working with the employment center, it was a very seamless process… You will be able to let them know what you want, what you specialize in, where your skills are, where your strengths are, and they will be able to… make sure that you excel within your career field.”
Cox’s advice for other Soldiers is to, “Never stop working hard and always reach out to your leadership and your peers to find out about the resources that the National Guard offers… Just asking those questions can carry you along way, being curious about what programs are able to help… and there's definitely a lot. A lot!”
The NCNG Employment Center is not exclusive to the Triangle but has nine employment center offices throughout the state, offering services to all military service members, including Reserve Component Soldiers, Veterans, their Spouses, and qualifying dependents. Counselors work one-on-one to assist Soldiers to demonstrate how their military skills transfer to the civilian sector.
Cox’s planning and efforts were paid off when he was selected to receive the impressive Goodnight Scholarship to attend NC State. As the official website states, “the Goodnight Scholarship prepares North Carolina's top STEM talent to become transformational leaders at NC State University, in North Carolina and in the world.”
“When I found out, I actually was here at the [NCNG Employment Center] recent career fair that we had this past spring,” recalled Cox. He received a phone call and stepped outside… “I won the scholarship! I was smiling from ear to ear, and I was just filled with joy. I had no words to describe how I was feeling at that time.”
“I definitely owe a lot of that to my advisor Jen Foster…my NC State C3 program advisor at Durham Tech,” said Cox. “She had a lot of faith in me. She told me about the opportunity …and it was definitely a blessing.”
His employer, Sambatek, has agreed to work with Cox’s schedule to continue his part-time work and simultaneously attend NC State which will enhance his learning experience.
“Tre'Vaughn told us about winning a Goodnight Scholarship and we grilled out at work to celebrate!” said Burchett. “We are very proud of him!”
“Tre’Vaughn leveraged the training he received from the NCNG, along with his education, to get work experience in civil engineering,” said Knott. “By the time he completes his degree, he will be miles ahead of his fellow graduates who will only have the education component.”
“Life is definitely a journey, and we have to enjoy the process,” said Cox. “Everything will come together once you know your ultimate goal.”
Cox has maintained focus on that goal as he begins his next educational step this fall. The sky’s the limit for what he can accomplish as he continues his journey as a citizen-Soldier for the North Carolina National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2023 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 449970 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA, BS |
| Hometown: | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 765 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Guardsman Puts Employment Center to Work to Establish a Bright Career Path, by CPT Patrick Montandon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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