Alumni Impact: Beyond the Degree; Mike Thurman ’92

At Morrison Tech, our Alumni are making meaningful impacts across the globe. We are excited to launch a new series called: “Alumni Impact: Beyond the Degree”, which seeks to highlight the diverse paths of our alumni and inspire current students and fellow graduates to push boundaries, pursue their passions, and contribute to their communities in meaningful ways. This month, we are excited to spotlight Mike Thurman, a 1992 graduate of Morrison Tech’s Design Drafting (Mechanical) Engineering Technology program whose remarkable journey illustrates the power of determination, passion, and the lifelong value of education.

Current Employer and Current Title: 

      Belcan Engineering — Manufacturing Engineer

Fun Fact: 

      I met my wife of 26 years through my roommate at Morrison. His girlfriend attended Western IL University, and my future wife was her roommate. 

How do you feel Morrison Tech helped prepare you for your career? 

      Details matter! From day one at Morrison, I learned this was truly a tech college! We learned the how AND the why, and were given assignments & projects that made you think through all details and interactions. All courses directly related to my degree, and all at one point being necessary in my career.  This set me up for a long career starting with Sargent & Lundy before graduation, to Caterpillar doing Technical Manuals then doing long term facility and capacity planning worldwide, and since 2016 doing specific projects for Defense and Aerospace clients at Belcan, who has allowed me freedom in choosing assignments that fit me. Many projects at Belcan revolve around not just design and drafting, but solving issues of manufacturing and supply chain. 

A highlight of my entire career was getting an assignment at Belcan to help Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, develop installation procedures for all sensors of the New Glenn rocket that will take people to Mars. I worked onsite at both the HQ in Kent, WA and at the Rocket Factory on Merritt Island, FL near NASA, testing each procedure that was developed to ensure it could withstand temps from -500oF to +500oF. Being in a control room during a rocket launch was also a huge lifelong dream.

 And all those hours spent at Morrison, learning to do tasks with detail, with purpose, and understanding of the "why", has given me a career of 32 years doing what I love to do! It must have rubbed off on my oldest daughter, Emily, who graduated from Morrison in 2023 with a Network Administration degree, and just completed one year at Rivian electric car company, part of a team running the network and IT department! We are the first father & daughter duo to graduate from Morrison Tech.