Tamerate Tadesse is a SCADA automation engineer but started his career as an airport taxi driver.
“I like to talk to people, I like to ask questions,” says Tadesse, a 2015 electrical engineering graduate. One day, Tadesse gave Peter Desloge, chairman and CEO of Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co., a ride to his home.
After seeing Tadesse’s adapted laptop charger, Desloge inquired about Tadesse’s hobbies and plans for the future. Tadesse told Desloge he has always enjoyed fixing things, especially electronics. Desloge encouraged Tadesse to pursue engineering, and even shared some of his own experience with his cab driver.
“Something clicked in my mind,” he says. “It was kind of a miracle for me.” The chance experience encouraged Tadesse to further his education and study engineering at S&T. He still keeps Desloge’s business card in his wallet for good luck.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
James Kreilich and Mary Jane Naeger
James Kreilich and Mary Jane Naeger went to school together at Valle High School in 1960, but it wasn’t until…
Sarah (Lewey) and Leslie “Les” McDaniel
When Sarah (Lewey) and Leslie “Les” McDaniel met in 2013 at a local bar called the Grotto, it was all…
Titanoboa – reptile king of the prehistoric rainforest
Sixty million years ago in the steamy prehistoric forests of what is now Colombia, there slithered a 50-foot, 2,500-pound reptile….
Gregory McClain: education’s key to success
Gregory McClain, who graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering management and...
Year after year, the ‘Best Ever’
Since George Menefee first donned a bishop’s hat and robe and rode a rail handcar into Rolla on March 17,…
Float like a butterfly
Few have shared the ring with Muhammad Ali or been praised by the New York Times as “one of America’s…