TACOMA — First lady Jill Biden donned a pair of safety glasses as she walked into Rob Renfro’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration classroom Friday afternoon at Bates Technical College and greeted students stationed behind electrical boards.
“I love that there are women doing this!” Biden exclaimed as she stopped to chat with two students, both women, who told her that out in the workforce, they can make a minimum of $30 an hour as HVAC technicians.
Renfro explained how the basic training boards are used to teach students to read wiring diagrams, get comfortable with their tools and troubleshoot electrical problems. Biden, who has taught English at a community college in Virginia for nearly 40 years, cracked that her teaching job isn’t quite so complicated.
“Not all students like to learn visually — they like hands-on stuff, so this is perfect. Everybody learns differently,” she said, wishing the students luck with their chosen careers.
Biden touched down at Boeing Field in Seattle earlier in the afternoon on a two-day visit to the Seattle area. Her visit to the technical college coincided with National Manufacturing Day and was meant to highlight workforce development programs that connect high school and postsecondary students with technical careers.
Saturday, she is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. Biden will then join Murray and Denis McDonough, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for an event at the Pacific Science Center, celebrating the children of military families.
For the past two weeks, staff at the 80-year-old Tacoma college’s south campus have been preparing for Biden’s visit, and on Friday, Secret Service agents and officers — along with members of the Washington State Patrol — swept through buildings with police dogs before Biden arrived for an hourlong tour.
Lexine Torres, the college’s high school counselor, had gathered a group of students ages 15 to 20 in a small auditorium. While they awaited Biden’s appearance, Torres explained that current high school students are earning their high school diplomas and associate degrees, simultaneously and tuition free. The high school students learn alongside adult students in a range of trade programs that often lead to apprenticeships, she said.
The college, which hosted then-second lady Tipper Gore and Sen. Maria Cantwell in 1999, also offers a fire service training program and fire recruit academy, said Torres.
Biden, who asked various students about their studies, was then asked what it was like to be first lady. She said she’s been honored to have visited more than 40 states in just over two years and that she gets to meet people from all walks of life.
“It’s just an incredible job because you really do feel like you can make changes in people’s lives,” Biden said. “I hope you feel the president and I have really tried to make your lives better. That’s why he ran for office.”
She encouraged the students to “get involved in your community in some way, because that’s what it’s all about” — showing kindness to their fellow Americans.
Her third stop was at the college’s welding shop, where her red skirt suit and heels appeared incongruous among the machinery and bits of metal. One 16-year-old welding student told Biden he is already making $25 an hour and recently worked on a generator at Joint Base Lewis McCord.
The boy handed Biden a metal nameplate, with “Dr. Biden” written across the face, and told her the gift was a project he had made with his classmates.
“How thoughtful,” she commented.
Instructor Liberty Olson told Biden that Bates students are in high demand and are often offered jobs before they complete their studies.
“I think it’s so amazing. Two-year technical colleges are doing this more and more,” Biden said.
Noting that not everyone wants to earn a four-year college degree, Biden said the students at Bates Technical College seemed to be “more focused on what they want to do in life.”
Surrounded by students and instructors, Biden — still holding the nameplate she was gifted — posed for one final photo before she waved her goodbyes and was whisked out the door.
