After graduating high school in 2010, Daniel Parrish selected EvCC for its well-established engineering department and flexible schedule. He had no financial help to attend college and worked full-time to obtain his degree. Four years later, he was accepted to the University of Washington, where he joined with two partners to create a start-up company, JikoPower. The team recently won over $22,000 from two competitions for the creation of a revolutionary portable thermoelectric generator, a technology that promises to transform communities in developing nations. “Without a doubt, EvCC made me who I am today,” says Daniel. “Becoming an engineer was a dream I wanted to achieve and EvCC helped me get there. The years I put into becoming something better were worth all the effort.”