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).
Mo Dehghani: what lies ahead
Mohammad “Mo” Dehghani, who has been chancellor at S&T since 2019, discusses what he believes...
Clued in on Jeopardy!
This Missouri S&T professor of foreign languages was once a clue on the popular TV game show Jeopardy! If you…
Communications entrepreneur and social engineer
Kwesi Sipho Umoja, EE’67, says that Dr. Martin Luther King’s death had a profound effect on his perception of tomorrow….
Hannah Ramsey-Standage and Chayne Standage
Hannah Ramsey-Standage and Chayne Standage met in 2014 after being cast in a Miner League Theatre Player production of “Grease”…
Samantha (Somers) and Scott Holcomb
Samantha (Somers) and Scott Holcomb first met as they were trying to catch the last bus back to campus after…
Advice for tomorrow’s leaders
Louis Smith, EE’66, president of AlliedSignal Inc., gave the commencement address to the graduating class in the spring 1993. The…