A 2023 graduate of Elk River High School, Laurengail Lorenz is already well on her way to a successful career in manufacturing.
Since graduation, Lorenz has received a scholarship from MPMA for her studies at Dunwoody School of Technology, presented as a keynote speaker at last year’s Celebration of Manufacturing event and recently became the youngest member of the Workforce Development Committee.
We asked Lorenz what her journey has been like so far — including what it’s like to be a young woman working in the manufacturing world.
While most people don’t start their careers until after they graduate high school, mine started when I was five years old, which is when I was old enough to be at my dad’s production studio while he worked on projects. My parents believed in having me with them for two reasons; first, they really wanted me around all the time, and second, to make sure my severe airborne and food allergies were under control. The theory was that this would help me navigate situations where my allergies were triggered.
In terms of school, my parents were my teachers, showing me what the world had to offer with field trips to the zoo, science museum and library for classes. To accommodate my allergies, I was enrolled in an online public school through 8th grade. Since I could go at my own pace through my online classes, I was able to follow my dad and his dad (my grandpa) around Grandpa’s machine shop.
Some of my favorite memories from when I was little are with them working on some crazy project that made my mom just “shake her head at” most of the time. Between building sets for my dad’s production studio and seeing how custom parts were made for his projects by Grandpa, I was hooked on the process of manufacturing.
When I entered high school, I started taking ASL classes in-person and was on track for a liberal arts education when the pandemic started and put everything back online. While I was back at home, I was inspired by seeing everything my Grandpa and Dad were building, and I decided to enroll in Elk River Senior High in their Engineering, Manufacturing and Design program, which is where I first got the opportunity to work with CNC equipment.
When I showed up for the first day, I found out that I was the only girl in the class. I pulled out my dad’s MIG welder to show my teacher some samples, and my instructor showed the whole class my work as an example and said, “Get used to it, guys — gals’ welding will always look better...“Isignedupforasecond year of the program, and my senior project was to make a single cylinder air motor, with my capstone project of a powered prosthetic leg exoskeleton for people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).
I also managed to land an intern position at Metal Craft, a local medical machining manufacturer. Matt Steuber, the Career and Technical Education Coordinator at Elk River, helped me get full class credit for the work I was doing. I continued working there until I graduated high school on the B Honor Roll in 2023.
To use one word, busy! After I graduated high school, I was of course having fun with my friends before we all went our separate ways for college. For me, preparing for a career starts way before you get to college. When I wasn’t hanging out with them, I was working and preparing for Dunwoody College of Technology. Prep included Dunwoody’s Pathways 2 Careers program (P2C) over the summer after my junior year, which was three weeks of exploring all the programs offered by Dunwoody. During my senior year of high school, Dunwoody’s scholarship program required me to attend a Saturday check in once a month. When I started college, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to adjust at Dunwoody. The classes were full of current technology, and I enjoyed them immensely. The course work was very focused on what I knew I’d need to succeed in my chosen field of work, and I was definitely never bored!
I currently work in Industrial Automation and Robotics. The road to finding my ‘niche' was interesting. In high school, I became extremely interested in manufacturing, engineering, design. . . basically everything the world of technology and innovation has to offer. That interest fueled an exploration into how I could make manufacturing a career. One of my high school teachers told me about a “Cool Jobs Tour” that my school district was participating in for the first time ever, which was designed to expose students to all different sides of manufacturing. If I hadn’t signed up for that, I don’t know where I’d be today.
The tour featured multiple local manufacturing companies. Dunwoody College of Technology was part of the panel of people hosted by Metal Craft, as well as the dinner for the tour, and the CTE program I mentioned before was one of the panel discussion subjects.
Good things happened fast after that event. I applied for and received the Metal Craft internship. The opportunities happened faster than the paperwork for the school. By the time I met with Mr. Steuber, I already had my internship. By the time I graduated high school, I was in the Quality Control Inspection department working with the machinists on the production line, reducing the number of culls, or the number of items rejected, during the second shift. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was creating a positive reputation around myself and my work ethic.
Today, I am enrolled at Dunwoody for their Automated Systems and Robotics Program, where I am learning how to design, build and maintain automated systems, including robots. I’m also interning at Graco. I’m planning on becoming an Automation Technician and then on to being a Controls Engineer.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that if you aren’t proactive and don’t ask questions, you may miss out on some incredible opportunities. I am very grateful for all the encouragement I have received from my teachers in school, outside support for my projects and the career opportunities I’ve received. I am excited to be in a field where innovation is happening every day. I’m just getting started, and I really believe the sky is the limit for me.
I’d say go for it; you won’t know until you try. Don’t let your fear of failure or your anxiety take over. Remember, your knowledge and self-confidence are in control of your actions, not your fear or anxiety. Whether you are a girl in fifth grade or a person who has been in the industry for years, don’t be afraid of new challenges. Your self-confidence will shine through and prove you have earned the right to be there.
I believe that the perceived glass ceiling in the industry is only there because women let it be there. To remove that glass ceiling from the equation, you need self-confidence, a complete knowledge of the industry and the foresight to understand the workplace subculture.
Firstly, it is an honor to be recommended to the committee based upon my industry experience, combined with my young age. Being on the committee will allow me to help the industry from a younger viewpoint on technology and the manufacturing process. I also want to promote the belief that if you have the capacity to do a good job as an employee, you should only be judged on performance, and not any other factors.
I feel the biggest impact is to outpace other U.S. competitors through process innovation. In order for our industry to be competitive, we need to continue implementing new ideas about management and production.
One management method I learned as an intern is to have everyone, from the janitorial staff to the president of the company, contribute ideas to make the workplace better and have higher efficiency. A specific change is I want to help reform the pay structure to reflect a person’s performance and not the degree they have (or do not have). There are people with equivalent life experience to people with graduate degrees who are paid less simply for not having a degree.
I have to start by saying my parents and my grandpa, and my godparents. They have been my biggest supporters since I was born. Matt Stueber, my High School CTE internship teacher, was awesome. He was always asking me how my internship was going and keeping me in the know for any scholarships and career opportunities that fit my career goals. At Dunwoody College I am happy to say I have found good people looking out for me too. EJ Daigle, Robotics Dean and Augustine Keitzer, scholarship organizer for P2C (Pathways 2 Careers) are big supporters for my career and robotic projects.
If you decide to go to school for a specific industry, ask lots of questions and constantly adjust your trajectory daily to match the job you want once you graduate. Remember, you are the solution to a potential employer’s need!