Alvin College student Hallie Rose felt as though she had discovered her path when she recently enrolled in the Drafting and Design Engineering Technology program. But not long after, she found an opportunity to build on her education for something different.
“I fell in love with mechanical design,” Rose said. “I was making something that was my own. I found something I deep dive in and learn to explore every avenue.”
Rose then took advantage of a federal grant and enrolled in the CNC program under a full scholarship while she also works to complete her Design Engineering degree. Alvin College was one of 18 American colleges to receive a Strengthening Community College grant from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2025.
The $1.5 million grant helped fund upgrades to the college’s CNC program along with staffing, equipment and curriculum development with the aim of increasing women in the field. The Houston region has among the highest employment levels for machinists in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
CNC (or Computer Numerical Control) machinists operate mills and lathes, which are used in industrial construction projects. Having skills with both types of equipment makes a potential employee more attractive on the job market. The 16-week program at Alvin College includes benchwork, layout, mathematics, quality control and safety.
Taking two programs at the same time is a daunting and time-consuming endeavor but Rose feels that each program is unique even though they are connected through creativity and industrial application. She decided to enroll with CNC because she felt it would make her better at engineering design.
“It’s like a spark went off,” she said about visiting the CNC lab. “I felt I had to do it. I could make things with my hands and be on the other side of the (design) process.”
Rose originally felt the CNC program would help improve her education to become a drafter but is now considering starting her career as a machinist before taking a position in engineering design as well as CNC programming.
“It’s all in the process of making me a better drafter,” Rose said. “CNC has showed me how things need to be designed to be cost effective and machined.”
To learn more about Rose’s journey in the Design Engineering and CNC programs, check out her interview with the Alvin College Podcast which is available wherever podcasts are found. You can also find the episodes at www.alvincollege.edu/news/podcast.html.