PANDEMIC MOVEMENT
Schooling: Frontline scholarships helping workers advance their education
David McCallum’s life and work are an example of how passion and purpose have collided for some during the pandemic.
The 30-year-old Sterling Heights resident has spent nearly three years working as a computeraided designer (CAD) at Bruce Township-based Custom Biogenic Systems.
The company designs cryogenic equipment and supplies used in scientific and research laboratories, including medical companies developing vaccines.
When the pandemic began, he had to find a way to both work from home and ramp up productivity. Research labs were overwhelmed trying to understand the virus, meaning companies like Custom Biogenic Systems were working full speed to fill orders.
“We were working a lot of overtime and some of the equipment we were making was going to facilities that do vaccine research,” McCallum said. “One of the biggest obstacles that some of these vaccines have is that they
need to be stored and transported at extremely cold temperatures. We knew we had to figure things out, because a lot of people are going to need this equipment.”
In between the long hours at work, McCallum is also finishing his associates degree in mathematics from Macomb Community College. With a passion for designing medical devices, he’s planning to continue his education at Oakland University studying mechanical engineering.
McCallum has spent two years working with advisors at the university setting up his transfer.
Now, he’ll start the summer semester as Oakland University’s first Frontline Workers Scholarship recipient.
The program offers those who earned the state’s frontline scholarship an additional $1,250 in annual tuition assistance for two years. McCallum was eligible for and received Michigan’s Futures for Frontliners scholarship for essential workers to help pay for the remainder of his associates degree.
“My biggest goal was to find a university where I could work full time. I looked across the area at engineering programs and was told it would be impossible for someone to complete their program like that,” McCallum said. “No one at Oakland University told me that, they actually said that I would be among several other students who are doing the same thing.”
McCallum will also be receiving a Presidential Transfer Award scholarship. All told, he’ll see $12,500 in tuition paid off through the programs, or one-third of his classes for the degree.
“That’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “I have other friends who have a lot of debt from school so I know how big of a deal this is.”
McCallum has been building his savings over the last several years. He’s single, with no kids, and dreams of someday soon buying his own home. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, he said he’s grateful he’ll be able to keep that money set aside for his life goals.
It’s taken him a long time to realize those goals, and what he wants to do in life. As a teenager, McCallum began drinking and using opioids. He developed a substance use disorder that would follow him into his young adult life, dropping out of high school to work odd jobs at gyms, gas stations and restaurants.
He tried several recovery programs before finding Families Against Narcotics, a statewide treatment program based in Clinton Township.
“It took a long time for me to wake up and want something better for myself,” McCallum said. “I’ve had a lot of good mentors along the way who have encouraged me, especially when it comes to education.”
He’s been in recovery for four years now, trying to find his path and, ultimately, landing on mechanical engineering through his love of computers, video games and design.
“I worked all of these entry level jobs and I was never fond of them. Working where I am now is the first job I could see as a career, building on the training I already had,” he said.
It was through a connection with Families Against Narcotics that McCallum got the job with Custom Biogenic Systems.
Working as a sponsor for some of the treatment program’s events, a friend of McCallum’s recommended him for the position. He quickly found purpose in helping to produce medical devices and a sense of belonging in the company as he begins to build his career.
“My boss thought it was something I was definitely capable of and really encouraged me. The whole company has been very accepting and supportive of my entire journey,” he said. “Designing medical devices is interesting, and I feel like in some ways, my job is just one piece of the puzzle in this pandemic. I’m contributing to something and helping, my job feels meaningful.”
Work hasn’t slowed down as the nation’s vaccine efforts continue to plow forward. McCallum is busier than ever taking online classes at both Macomb Community College and Oakland University.
His schedule is hectic, he said, but it’s also exciting as he looks to get his next degree, and chapter of his life, underway.
“I can’t think of anything more interesting than helping design medical equipment that will play a part in protecting people’s lives,” he said.