The job worked well for him. But when he was contacted by Penn State about an opening at CNEU, he said, he found himself missing State College and the University he’d attended.
“I had to do a lot of mental gymnastics. I got a spreadsheet out, and I weighed all the pros and cons,” Gray said. “The swing factor was family and friends. I’d made new friends in Arizona, but I wanted to be closer to the people most important to me in this world.”
The work suits Gray’s needs and his career goals, he said, and it also brought him back to an area that he loves.
“I have no regrets. I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve done since I’ve returned to the University,” Gray said. “I’m in my late 30s now, too, and it’s time to settle down a little bit, to buy a house. I knew this was a good spot to make that happen.”
Attending a nanotechnology program at Penn State led him to a new path, Gray said, and now he gets to share the wisdom he’s collected with newcomers to the field. In addition, Gray’s managerial position requires more than helping to teach the CNEU’s programs. He also travels around Pennsylvania to recruit for it, speaking at colleges and high schools to showcase the CNEU as a jumping-off point for a career, something that he himself experienced as a student.
“It’s my job to show potential students that this program is good use of their resources and time. I’m very passionate about that, because it truly did change my life,” Gray said. “The same exact program I went through as a student almost 20 years ago is still here, and it’s designed to help people out.”
Gray has been with CNEU for nearly three years. But the work they’re doing is part of a longstanding legacy of manufacturing and workforce development at Penn State, he said, and he can see that history every day within his department.
“We’ve been national leaders in the areas of workforce development for nanotechnology and semiconductor processing since the late ’90s,” Gray said. “With this University, the people who are here, tend to stay here, because it is a good place to be. People who were involved in my graduate education, I now work with.”
Overall, Gray said, he’s happy to be back where he went to school. Penn State has brought him ample opportunities for growth and development, and now he can start others on the same path.
“I’m a true Penn Stater. When I got the educational experience here, in my four-year degree and graduate degrees, it was excellent,” Gray said. “I wanted to return because I wanted to be surrounded by good educators and people with similar goals and interest.”