As Women in Trades Month draws to a close, these three seniors at Hancock County Technical Center are proving that passion and technical skill are all that matters in the workforce. These young women are carving out careers in the historically male-dominated fields of diesel and automotive technology, transforming childhood interests into professional ambitions – and having some fun while they do it!
Lily Alley, EHS, Senior – Diesel Technology
It’s only been five short years since EHS senior Lily Alley first started working on a lobster boat – but she’s already making huge waves in the industry.
This year, Alley earned a major operating license from the U.S Coast Guard. After completing the “Upgrade OUPV to Master 100 Tons” course in January, Alley earned her license through the Mariners Learning System. With this certification, she’s now qualified to operate vessels up to 100 tons – with roughly 50 passengers and a crew on board.
With her coursework finished, she just needs to submit her sea days and some final paperwork, and pass one final test to fully obtain her captain's license. "It's just thrilling and exciting that my future is so close and it's obtainable even at a young age," she said.
Alley's journey in the trades began long before high school; she grew up surrounded by heavy equipment in her grandfather Dean Hoke's building company shop, helping him with excavators, backhoes, forklifts – you name it. At 13 years old, she had her first experience throwing on the lobster fishing gear and pulling traps on the water, and the rest is history. She was hooked.
“I loved being on the water,” Alley says. “I loved working on the boat, working on the engine, working on anything I had to. I've kind of always known I wanted to be on the water, except for being here, I realized I definitely didn't want to work inside the boat. I wanted to be on the boat driving it.”
“One of my teacher’s, Mr. Coit, he was a past captain and now he’s the Ed Tech in my class. He helped me realize I could be a captain - and then shortly after, we figured out I could get my license as a senior.”
Even with years of experience under her belt, walking into the diesel garage where she is always one of just a few girls was something to get used to.
“It was intimidating. We were doing drum breaks and the boys couldn't do the springs. My teacher, Mr. Trowbridge said, ‘She can help you,’ and they were like, ‘No, we can do it,’” Alley recalls. “And then like 10 minutes later they came to me saying, "Oh, can you help us please?" So they didn't like – if I could do something better than them, they didn't like that. I'm a girl.”
“Over time, they realized I knew what I was doing - and we gained respect for each other. Further into my first year and my second year, they got more used to me knowing what I was doing.”
And for other young women on the fence over pursuing a career in the trades – Alley has some sound, but simple, advice.
“Do it," she urged. "You never know unless you try. Because you might love it. The worst things that can happen are not knowing."
Lily Michaud-Kidder, EHS, Senior – Automotive Tech
For four days a week this year, EHS senior Lily Michaud-Kidder is gearing up and reporting to John Deere in Ellsworth for an extensive Automotive Technology internship.
For Michaud-Kidder, turning wrenches and tuning engines has been a lifelong passion turned into a professional opportunity.
“I’ve been doing auto-based stuff since I was around three years old,” she says. “ I worked on lawnmowers, weed-whackers, small stuff with my uncle – his trucks, his vans, his cars, all that.”
Outside of her uncle, she says many of her family members are also involved in blue-collar trades. That family business was just the beginning of the auto work for Michaud-Kidder- now finishing up her last year with Mr. Jamison’s Automotive Technology class.
In fact, for most of the week, Michaud-Kidder doesn’t report to Mr. Jameson, or HCTC – she spends her time doing real, professional work on her internship with John Deere.
“Instead of coming here, I got there - since it’s the same work, I don’t have to do the work twice,” she says.
Lily brings over 10 years of garage experience to HCTC, capped off by her recent internship with John Deere. But despite having one of the strongest mechanical backgrounds in her class, she still found herself having to earn the respect of her male classmates.
For Michaud-Kidder, who is used to breaking barriers from her time competing as a wrestler, the initial skepticism wasn't a shock—it was fuel. While she is glad to have a few other young women alongside her in the afternoon Automotive Tech classes, she hopes to see those numbers grow, knowing firsthand the satisfaction that comes from upending people's assumptions.
“It's pretty funny, because I watch all the guys underestimate me and then they see what I can do,” she says. “I think it's pretty funny, but again, it happens. I feel like more women should be in trades because a lot of them get looked down on. It did fuel me. But even then, there's a lot of kids that just want to learn. It's better to learn this stuff anyway, auto-based trades, because if you have your own car, you don't have to pay to get it done.”
Sadie Howes, BHS, Senior – Automotive Tech
Growing up in her father’s shop, Bucksport Senior Sadie Howes didn’t really struggle with her decision to join HCTC’s Automotive Tech program.
For Howes, stepping into our garage was originally about bridging a generational gap. She entered the shop to follow in her father's footsteps and impress him, having grown up as a fixture in their garage.
“I’ve grown up in our shop with him, my whole life, fixing stuff,” Howes says.
Her hands-on experience started at a young age when she and her father removed the engine from her first snowmobile. What began as a childhood bonding experience quickly evolved into a personal fascination with the mechanics of how vehicles function, and how everything inside of it works.
"It was fun, I like to spend the time in the shop, and it was just nice to see how it's actually put together," Howes said. “It’s nice to watch people do stuff and take stuff apart, but it’s also nice to do it myself.”
While the prospect of a career in the industry remains a possibility after graduation, her time in the program has already been both rewarding and educational. For her, one of the best parts about her time and experience with HCTC Automotive Tech has been realizing that – yeah, she may be a girl in a male-dominated field, but she is just as capable as all of her classmates.
“At first, you don’t think you’ll like it, and it’s something for guys to do,” she says. “But, once you get in and you start seeing how you can do that stuff, just like the guys can do, it’s pretty nice to have that feeling. And – it’s a fun thing to do, too.”