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Carolynn Coonce, a 2025 graduate of Mineral Ridge High School, was in the HVAC-R program at Trumbull Career & Technical Center, which she is using to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering technology at Kent State University at Trumbull.
CHAMPION — Carolynn Coonce knew how to install an air conditioner before she ever set foot in a college engineering lab.
What she didn’t realize at the time was that she wanted to redesign how those systems worked. A mechanical engineering technology major at Kent State University at Trumbull, Coonce is building on her hands-on background from the Trumbull Career & Technical Center to pursue a future focused on design, efficiency and problem-solving. She expects to graduate in 2027.
Coonce, a 2025 graduate of TCTC and Mineral Ridge High School, studied heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) at TCTC. The program gave her practical skills and early exposure to technical work, but as graduation approached, she realized installation alone wasn’t enough.
During the summer of 2025, she gained real life experience working in the heating and cooling industry while working for her uncle, Rick Mazza, owner of Mazza Heating and Cooling in Girard.
“I learned a lot working with him and his crew; however, I became more interested in the engineering behind the mechanics. I wanted more,” Coonce said. “I aspire to make systems work more efficiently by focusing on their design and mechanical properties, especially when it comes to comfort and air quality.”
That realization led her to engineering and, specifically, to KSU Trumbull.
“I chose Kent State Trumbull because it’s closer to home, it’s lower cost, and when I toured, I just knew it was somewhere I wanted to be,” she said. “Everyone was so welcoming and friendly.”
Coonce credits David White, a former TCTC HVAC & Refrigeration instructor, with helping her recognize her potential.
“He saw that I had a mind for math and pushed me to move into something bigger and better, something that would challenge me and pay off in the long run,” she said.
Coonce is getting that challenge with the KSU program, which emphasizes applied learning and blending theory with real-world technical skills.
“So far my engineering classes have been very enjoyable,” she said. “My professors, Dr. (Mohammad) Irfan and Michael Kohuth, have not only influenced us to learn something new, but to be hands-on so we advance our knowledge and know-how.”
That hands-on approach has included welding, casting and small machining projects — experiences Coonce says have helped her grow more confident in the lab. The most challenging part of the program, she said, has been adapting to the computer-based side of engineering.
“The hardest thing I’ve done so far is the CAD work,” she said. “It took some adjusting to learn how to do certain computer tasks, but once you keep working at it, it starts to click.”
Outside the classroom, Coonce balances coursework with a job at Cracker Barrel. She also receives a number of TCTC and Kent State Trumbull scholarships, including the William Moransky Memorial; Auto Spa; Ohio Natural Energy Foundation; Marie Ohl Scholarship; Kent State University Trumbull TCTC Connection; and the Kent State Merit Scholarship.
For students considering the mechanical engineering technology program, Coonce offers straightforward advice.
“Be up to the challenge,” she said. “It can get hard, but as long as you try, you’ll continue to learn how to do things the proper way. I came into this program with zero experience, which doesn’t matter as long as you pay attention, ask questions and always try your best.”
This mindset, she said, has become one of her guiding principles.
“A wise person once told me, ‘The squeaky wheel gets the grease,’” Coonce said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you don’t understand what you’re doing. Push yourself to be successful and believe in yourself.”