For Cheyenne Steed, discovering her career path didn’t exactly come about in an easy way.
In May of 2024, the stay-at-home mom found herself facing a divorce and needing to financially provide for her three daughters. Realizing she needed options after being out of the workforce for nine years, but also knowing a four-year degree wasn’t an option, she decided to explore Ozarks Tech. It was during conversations with an Ozarks Tech student advisor that she learned about the college’s new plumbing program.
“I have always liked to tinker and work with my hands, so the plumbing option sparked my interest,” Steed said.
It might have been the idea of working with her hands that initially appealed to her, but what solidified Steed’s choice to go into plumbing was the program’s nine-month timeframe. Being job-ready in less than a year was a real draw for the Republic resident. The final items on her considerations list were met when she learned about the area’s continuing need for plumbers, the job placement opportunities even while in school, and the varied types of work within the industry.
She also discovered the plumbing program at Ozarks Tech qualifies for grant funding, so she would be able to receive tuition assistance – another important factor for the 29-year-old newly single mom. Since enrolling, Steed has also received a scholarship from the Springfield Contractors Association to further support her educational journey. These options covered her tuition in full, which is helping her maintain a focus on learning and her next chapter.
While the circumstances that led her to the program may not have been ideal, Steed says she couldn’t be happier and more proud to be part of this first class of plumbing students and to be the only female currently in the program.
“We are really like a little family in the program and our instructor, Greg Davis, is absolutely amazing,” Steed said. “He instructs us but gives us room to grow and make mistakes. He allows us to see why things need to be done a specific way – we really are learning by doing.”
If you ask Steed about what she’s learned in the program, she will excitedly tell you about the various tools she gets to use in the classroom, the difference between working with steel pipes over copper pipes, and the importance of ladder safety. Her biggest flex? The woman who once flinched at the popping sound of a soldering torch being lit can now light it over her head while in a tight crawl space.
She’ll also tell you with a giggle that since joining the plumbing program she finds herself checking out the fixtures in gas station bathrooms to see how they look and were installed, and she even helped a friend fix a toilet over Christmas break.
“This program has shown me I can do this, so I am not scared about the future,” Steed said. “I am excited about my career in plumbing because I know I am receiving good training. I will never be stagnant in this field, and I can make a living for myself and my girls.”