Where Are They Now? Avonworth’s Cam Galloway

Most Where Are They Now features would probably have you looking far and wide on Google Maps if you wanted to know where an A.W. Beattie alum is working.

For Cam Galloway, you just have to know where the Carpentry and Building Construction program is located in the Career Center.

A 2018 Avonworth graduate, Mr. Galloway was hired more than one year ago as an instructional assistant in the program he spent three years in as a student.

“One day Mr. Brown reached out to say they needed an assistant in the program, because they had so many students enrolled,” Mr. Galloway said. “It was sort of random. I was a little shocked at first.”

Mr. Galloway enjoys working in the field, but knew he’d want to have a career related to Carpentry and Building Construction, just not necessarily in it.

The proposal to come in for an interview seemed like the perfect opportunity to start down the path he saw himself in.

“After being an assistant last year and going into this year, I really enjoy it,” Mr. Galloway said. “It definitely different going from being a student to a teacher.”

In some ways, Mr. Galloway was an obvious choice to be an extension of Mr. Brown and Mr. Carlini in the program. He had experience in the field, and he was a student leader in his junior and senior years.

In 2017 and 2018, he competed in RCMC in Florida and became a two-time state champion in SkillsUSA to go to nationals. He also was the lead designer and manager for a modular home constructed by the program’s students.

“That was a great learning experience, and I had more responsibilities and made sure everyone was on schedule,” Mr. Galloway said. “I think it comes easy to me to teach students now, because of those experiences. I went through the same program, and I understand the questions they’re asking and why they’re asking those questions, because I had a lot of the same ones a few years ago.”

His favorite part of the program is masonry and framing.

“Masonry and block laying is a lot more work than people think it really is,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not slapping mud on a brick and putting it down. I like framing, which by comparison is pretty easy and fun. I like that I still get to be a part of the program.”