Student Spotlight: Father, serviceman, student

MAY 8, 2020 | COLLEGE NEWS

 
As a National Guardsman, Diesel System Technician student Kyle Goodnow
is currently in South Florida helping to set up desperately needed COVID-19
mobile testing sites.

Being a devoted family man, honing a valuable trade, and serving his country are all in day’s work for Kyle Goodnow.

After graduating from Dunedin High in 2012, the Clearwater native enlisted in the army and spent the first three years of active duty in North Carolina. He was then stationed at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Fla., for another three years and is now in his first year with the National Guard.

Goodnow, 26, was first drawn to diesel system technology while serving in the army, but his education there was rudimentary, so he decided to enroll in the Diesel System Technician program at Pinellas Technical College (PTC).

The thorough program deals with the care and maintenance of diesel systems, including the electronic side such as battery diagnosis and repair, starting systems, and charging and lighting systems. It also focuses on engines themselves, including engine diagnosis and repair, cylinder heads, valves, exhaust and fuel systems.

“First I started off with the electrical program,” he said, “that goes very detailed into the basics...and how it works, being able to troubleshoot, and understanding how cars nowadays communicate with another, whether it be safety features or just basic operations.”

At PTC, Goodnow said he is able to get a much fuller understanding of diesel systems and how they function, compared to the basic instruction he received during his military days.

“The army only teaches you so much on army equipment,” he explained. “In the army, you have a book, and ‘if this thing is wrong, then check this.’ But being in school, it’s like, ‘this is wrong, and this is possibly why it happened and why it keeps happening,’ and actually understanding. It helps with troubleshooting.”

Goodnow was able to use funds from his G.I. Bill toward paying for his class, where he feels he is getting a quality education.

“It’s definitely ‘at your own pace,’” he said of the class’ learning atmosphere. “You can excel; you can push yourself. The instructors definitely push you to stay on pace, but they’re not going to hold your hand. That’s a big thing with me. I’m there to learn, so I show up every day, and I’m trying to get the best I can.”

It is an 18-month program that Goodnow began in August, but due to the pandemic and subsequent closures of schools across the country, Goodnow, like so many other students, was forced to put his studies on hold. Upon his eventual graduation, however, he will have several options he plans to consider, including becoming a tech for the National Guard, securing a city job, or possibly working for a company.

“I know a lot of the students there worked for the PSTA [Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority],” Goodnow said. “They’re always hiring our guys. A lot of our guys will work there and come to school, and once they get done with the schooling here, they do the schooling through them, and then they’re making $20, almost $25 an hour.”

These days, with the disastrous pandemic still looming over the country, Goodnow and his fellow National Guardsmen have mobilized to help communities wherever they can. He is currently in South Florida, the area in our state hardest hit by the virus, to assist with setting up desperately needed mobile testing sites.

A dedicated husband to wife Olivia and father of four youngsters ages two to seven, Goodnow also finds time to give back to his alma mater as he volunteers as a wrestling coach at Dunedin High.

His philosophy in life is straightforward: “Optimism is not a choice,” he said, “it’s a belief. You always have to keep an optimistic outlook.”