As the quarterback for the Wagoner Bulldogs, senior Keyshawn Brown knows about precision and leadership-two important qualities that are needed both on the gridiron and academically for Keyshawn in the Plumbing program at the Indian Capitol Technology Center in Coweta.

“Everything you do in both of these has to be precise,” said Brown. “If you leave something too loose in plumbing, it’s going to leak and if you mess up a play in football, it doesn’t work.”

Keyshawn’s instructor at Coweta is veteran plumber Ronnie Jones who discussed what the program entails.

“This is a two-year program and when they finish, they’ll have two years of credit towards their journeyman’s license which requires a three-year apprenticeship. We teach all phases of plumbing from drainage, installing water piping, water heater installation along with gas piping and appliance installation. The first part of the day is spent in class learning codes and the general principles of plumbing and then we go to the shop where we re-enact what we’ve learned that day in the classroom. We’ve also got a four-room house in our shop where we continually plumb and re-plumb all the piping and installations,” said Jones.

For Keyshawn, it all began with a tour of the ICTC campus in both his eighth grade and sophomore years.

“We toured the campus and I had a chance to check out somethings I might like to do. I chose plumbing because it’s a good opportunity for your future. I like it because you never know what you’re going to get yourself into, but you always learn something and it’s something that can come in handy in your everyday life even if you don’t go into it professionally. I plan to go to college and study business and get a degree and then come back to plumbing.”

For students that aren’t quite sure about what they want to do after high school, Keyshawn Brown has some words of advice.

“Look around seriously when your school takes a tour and see what all is available and then come to the campus open-minded. You’ll never be wrong if you try your hardest because there are experienced people around to help you succeed and remember that not any question is a dumb question, so always be inquisitive.”