Mid-Coast School of Technology student blows the roof off marine certification test
OWLS HEAD – Cushing resident Trysdan Galvin, a high school senior at Camden Hills Regional High School and Mid-Coast School of Technology, and who is now a mechanic at Journey's End Marina, recently celebrated a life-changing achievement.
After fininshing a marine technology class at the MCST, she took the American Boat and Yacht Council Marine Certification test and scored 16 points higher than the national average.
And, Galvin is also is the first female at MCST to pass the test.
The American Boat and Yacht Council is a certification and standards organization for the marine industry.
“They apply primarily to recreational boats, but their professional and safety installation standards apply across the board in the marine industry,” said Joel Rowland, marine technical and composites manufacturing teacher at MCST.
ABYC is dedicated to ensuring boating safety worldwide.
"By developing globally recognized standards for boat design, construction, repair, and maintenance, we play a pivotal role in shaping the marine industry's safety trajectory and reduction in the number of boating accidents over the past seven decades," the organization says.
Rowland tells all his students at the beginning of the school year that they will need to work hard, study and apply practical knowledge skills in the classroom — “If they want to understand the discipline,” he said. “But especially if they want to pass the test, because it is not easy.”
The marine industry does not want technicians installing electrical and mechanical propulsion systems on boats without sound fundamentals and safety as a priority, he said.
"Trysdan worked and studied hard while doing the things I recommended, and she surpassed it," Rowland said.
Galvin's father was a boat captain and she grew up around vessels of all sizes. She talked about father.
“He was the captain of an 80-foot racing yacht, and I grew up on that boat,” she said. “I loved it. I raced smaller sail boats up through high school. I have a couple of boats with engines on them and I’ve just always loved being around the water.”
Since sixth grade, she was interested in marine technology.
“When I heard marine tech, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “I knew I wanted to come here. I loved all of it."
Galvin is a marine mechanic now and goes to school every other day. Everything she learned in class at MCST she has now applied in the mechanic shop.
“You can make good money doing it,” she said. "I think more students should come here. It is a competitive school to get into, but everything here is valuable, especially for kids that don’t plan on going to a four-year college.”
Galvin promotes learning a trade, and to be passionate about practicing it.
“Some kids don’t enjoy sitting in a classroom being lectured from eight to three," she said. "Here is a good outlet."
Galvin said when Rowland announced who passed the test and her name came up, she was elated.
"I’m the only girl to ever pass it here and there was one other person in my class who passed," she said. "To come out on top of everyone from this school and the only female to ever pass the test was self-empowering.”
Rowland said the passing percentage for the test is about 10 percent.
“It’s a tough test,” he said, with 125 questions over a range of subjects. That includes a range of topics, from propulsion to electrical systems, and there is even a unit on trailers and customer service.
Galvin worked this past summer at the Rockland Harbor Master's Office. Come winter, she applied and was accepted to Journey’s End Marina.
Her plans now include attending one of two maritime academies, Maine or Massachusetts.
“I’m going to become a Marine Transportation Officer," she said. "It’s shipping. It’s driving big boats, sometimes internationally that includes cargo or tugboats."
With that major she can get an unlimited tonnage Coast Guard license, she said.
Rowland is proud of Galvin and her work ethic.
"I am looking forward to hearing what direction she goes in,” he said. “The world is her oyster. That is one of the great things I’m finding out about being a teacher — I get to follow my students vicariously.”
Females tend not to pursue careers in male-dominated fields, thinking they do not have enough experience, said Galvin.
"It is a great field and the work force, in general, is screaming for people who have trades," she said. "A lot of places are understaffed, especially in the marine industry. Anyone who wants to pursue this can. Maybe being the only girl helped me, maybe it hurt me, but it definitely added fuel to my fire. I came out on top and it feels good.”