SWAG�ϼ�

February 17, 2025
Story and photos by Joe Vinduska

After graduating from SWAG�ϼ�’s Construction Tech program in just one semester, Great Bend native Brecken Carroll immediately found employment and started earning a living as part of the window installation crew at MPIRE Improvements��of Great Bend.

“The hands-on experience prepared me for the real world because it would have been way more of an adjustment just to get thrown into working with the crew and not knowing anything,” she said. “It was nice that I didn't have to start from scratch when I joined the team and had some experience. It makes you more appealing when you're at an interview when they know you have at least some background.”

Seasoned construction professional Angel Gutierrez is the foreman for Carroll’s team at MPIRE, and said she came into the job with a working knowledge of essential tools and processes that made it easy to put her to work right away.

“Brecken is a great helper, a great hand, and even with her being here not even a year, I already feel that I can trust her and not have to shadow her all the time,” he said. “She was more well prepared than most. She knows what she’s doing and hit the ground running because the program gives students hands-on time with actual tools in the field. She knows how to run a nail gun, a saw, and all the various tools we have out here.”

While some students may have experience, Carroll came into the program with almost zero, which is a true testament to the curriculum. In just one semester, she fast-forwarded her skills from novice to someone ready to enter the job market.

“I maybe held a flashlight for my dad once or twice,” she said. “Otherwise, I had no experience whatsoever.”

Carroll credits the SWAG�ϼ� instructor for showing her the ropes of the construction world.

“They’re here to teach you, and it’s common knowledge for them, but to be able to put it into a perspective that's easier to learn for people that have never even encountered something like construction, that's really nice to have.”

Carroll said going to SWAG�ϼ� was a wise fiscal decision as well.

“I graduated debt-free,” she said. “I can't imagine what it would be like to have some of the student debt that I've heard that some people have. So, it's definitely not anything I ever have to worry about.”

For anyone who’s on the fence about their career, Carroll said the SWAG�ϼ� program is perfect for anyone who likes to work with their hands.

“My SWAG�ϼ� experience…I loved it,” she said. “It was awesome. It's been very useful to me. I mean, I wouldn't have the job that I have right now if I didn't come here, and I’m very grateful.”

For more information, visit , or contact Carpentry Instructor Matt Mazouch at mazouchm@bartonccc.edu or�� (620) 792-9336.

For Brecken's video story, visit:��