Intern Brandon Meeks sits on one of the motorcycles at the Harley-Davidson.

Brandon Meeks grew up in Paducah wanting to work in the automotive field as an engineer, and glancing at West Kentucky Community & Technical College’s Engineering building from the I-24 ramp.
 
He dreamed of attending the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering program housed in Crounse Hall, but he never imagined where that dream might take him. The senior at the UK-Paducah campus recently began a cooperative learning position with the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle company in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
A 2004 Reidland High School graduate and Eagle Scout, Meeks began his education at WKCTC in the fall 2004 and will soon complete an associate in science degree. He is majoring in mechanical engineering and expects to graduate from UK-Paducah campus in May 2010.
 
Meeks, 21, the son of Claudia Meeks and Kenneth Meeks, found out about the co-operative education program at Harley-Davidson on the company’s website.
 
“I have always had a love for motorcycles, and was constantly looking for an opening in the engineering field at Harley.” Meeks said. “It began as a dream I thought I would never realize.”
 
Fortunately, others students at the UK’s Paducah campus paved the way for him to work at Harley. Daniel McGill was the first UK-Paducah student to be accepted into the Harley program.  In 2007, Josh Martin was accepted. Meeks said he got assistance from both McGill and Martin in completing his application, and was accepted in December 2007.
 
Meeks began work in the paint department of the Kansas City facility on January 7, 2008. Meeks said his co-op in a manufacturing facility has been quite a change from his last job working for A.J. Hess and Associates, a private engineering consulting firm. “I have learned many things about the processes in manufacturing and the sacrifices of time and money that must be made to keep a business running,” he said.
 
Meeks has served as president of the Society of Automotive Engineering while working on his education.  He said he has enjoyed being able to stay in Paducah to pursue a career in engineering, and can see the benefits.
 
“Considering the fact that you are in a class of between ten and thirty students versus over 100 is a major benefit,” Meeks said. “In my opinion, being able to remain at home and save nearly 60% of the overall cost of a Lexington education is another benefit.”
 
 
Meeks will complete his co-op with Harley in January 2009.