Christopher Contard:
CLASS OF 1995
Manlius Pebble Hill High SchoolClass of 1995
De witt, NY
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteClass of 2000
Troy, NY
Franklin Middle SchoolClass of 1991
Cedar rapids, IA
Erskine Elementary SchoolClass of 1988
Cedar rapids, IA
Christopher's Story
Life
Well...I managed to get out of RPI after completing a dual major in Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, along the way landing my (eventual) wife, Ellen. We're now happily married and living in beautiful Aurora, CO, after escaping the awful mess that is northern Virginia in January 2007. In October 2004 we were blessed with our first child, our daughter Jordan. August 2006 saw the birth of our second daughter, Eleanor (Nora, as we call her). Going from one to two has been a quantum leap! Jordan loves her sister and is as helpful as a destructive two-year-old can be.
School
Wow...it's been an interesting ride. From the early years in Iowa, to the big move, to 2 years bad enough I refuse to put the school on my list, to coming into my own and some key foreign travel opportunities at MPH...I couldn't possibly recount it all here. Painful? Yes. Necessary and character-building? Absolutely...if nothing else, I've certainly developed a thick skin...
College
Ah, RPI. Hockey line, many nights at Psi U, co-op, some serious missteps, some really dark days, eventually finding the love of my life, and finally starting to understand what being a man is really all about.
I still miss it, warts and all.
Work...Expand for more
place
My co-op assignment at Pratt and Whitney in Middletown, CT, my junior year of college was what really helped me learn how to function in the real world (especially the times I put my foot in my mouth!). After I graduated in 2000, I landed at Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, MD, getting to do more, varied exciting things than anyone should have a right to. Alas, after I moved to northern VA to be with Ellen I could only handle the commute for so long, so in 2003 I jumped ship to Lockheed Martin in Springfield, VA (just a bit closer to home), and I'm now loving what I do so much, I wish I'd done it sooner. Somehow, they even figured it'd be a good idea to make me a team lead. It had its ups and downs, but it's what I wanted to do, and it was great on the whole--I had 8-15 "kids" (even though some are twice my age!) in addition to my own flesh-and-blood daughter. But, living in NoVA got to be too much, so I decided to take action. I've given all that up to take a similar position in Aurora, CO (again with Lockheed Martin) and start at the bottom again, learning a new position and working towards a new certification. New place, new challenges, but I'm still loving it...and living less than ten miles from work has its advantages.
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