Bay Minette Senior Ethan Howard Charts His Own Course Toward Electrical Engineering

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Ethan Howard has known for a long time what he wants to do with his life. The Baldwin County High School senior, who grew up in Bay Minette, plans to become an electrical engineer, and his senior-year schedule is built around getting there.

Howard is quiet but confident in the path he has chosen. This year he is taking AP calculus, an engineering elective and statistics, each with a specific purpose in mind.

He said he is taking AP calculus “so I can get a better advantage in learning,” and the engineering class “so I can learn the hands-on projects and what it would be like in a group setting to actually work and have a better work ethic.” Statistics, he said, is “also just to have more knowledge and understanding in math.”

A lifelong interest in math

Howard has always been good at math, and he has always wanted to be an engineer. The appeal, he said, is in the way the subject works.

“I thought it was always fun to do. I always liked how it was more of a step-by-step, more systematic kind of operation.”

— Ethan Howard

That kind of thinking is central to electrical engineering, a field that covers the design and testing of electrical systems and equipment, from power distribution and motors to circuits, communications and computer hardware. Engineering programs typically lean heavily on calculus, physics and related math in the first years of study, which is one reason high school students headed for the field often take advanced math before they graduate.

What AP courses offer

Advanced Placement courses are college-level classes offered in high schools through the College Board. Students can take an AP exam at the end of the course, scored on a 1-to-5 scale, and many colleges award credit or advanced placement for qualifying scores. Policies vary by school and by major, so students are encouraged to check with the colleges they are considering.

Narrowing his focus

Howard has explored a range of interests during high school. He played soccer and baseball, which he said he enjoyed, though he no longer plays either. He remains part of Baldwin County High’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, whose meetings draw around 300 people in the Tigers’ new gymnasium.

This year, his attention is mostly on his STEM classes and getting ready for college. He has his sights set on one of three Alabama universities: Auburn University, Tuskegee University or the University of Alabama.

Each of the three offers engineering programs. Auburn’s engineering programs are housed in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering on its campus in Auburn. Tuskegee University, a historically Black university founded in 1881, has a College of Engineering on its campus in Macon County. The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering is in Tuscaloosa.

A network of support

Howard said he has found help and encouragement both in and out of the classroom, and that he has been surrounded by people who share his interests.

“In school, I usually try to get my support from teachers or friends. Most of my friends are really into STEM, so we’re all really good at math. So, if I really need help, I can always go to some of my friends. Most of my friends want to do maybe engineering or some field in engineering. I’ve always been surrounded with people that are interested in STEM or just any kind of math or science activities. It has helped a lot. I always try to ask them for help, too, just in case if I need it, and with them being able to aid me, I think it’s strengthened my liking of it.”

— Ethan Howard

Outside school, he turns to family connections and online resources. He said he regularly uses Khan Academy, the free nonprofit online learning platform, and has developed his own study routine at home.

“I usually use Khan Academy to help me learn, and those videos always help me. I always try to take notes on the content and always try to recall everything that I can. Maybe take some practice quizzes here and there and try to actually make it feel like I’m in the classroom myself at home to get a better understanding of everything.”

— Ethan Howard

Teachers help with his classes and planning, and friends support his interest and practice. Family fills another role. Howard said he does not come from a STEM family, but he relies on his family’s strengths in other ways.

“I know that my family are always there for me, and they try their best to help me either way,” he said.

A summer with North Baldwin Utilities

Howard also wanted experience outside the classroom. After a guidance counselor told him about the school district’s summer utility internship program, he applied.

“I thought, hey, this could be really good on my resume. I think I could get a better understanding of work ethic and how the real world would work if I do it. So, I signed up and went through the process, and I believe it really helped me understand what the real world would be like.”

— Ethan Howard

While many of his classmates spent the summer away from school, Howard worked at North Baldwin Utilities in sewer and wastewater management. The work took him into the field.

“I would also have to help with water construction, so maybe we would have to fix a sewer main or water main,” he said. “We’ll go house to house and check cleanouts just in case if something was backed up and we had to get it. And we would have to usually fix main breaks in the road where we would have to dig it up and patch the whole pipe, which was really fun. I really enjoyed it.”

About the Baldwin County utilities internship

The summer utilities internship gives Baldwin County high school students paid, hands-on experience with local utilities. Riviera Utilities started the program about five years ago, and local utilities have run it with the Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Commission and the Baldwin County Board of Education. North Baldwin Utilities, Daphne Utilities, Gulf Shores Utilities, Fairhope Utilities and the Belforest Water System have been among the participants.

Interns have worked in areas including electric, gas, water, wastewater, warehouse operations, customer service, engineering and administrative services. The program runs for nine weeks over the summer.

Competition for spots is strong. This spring, more than 140 high school students interviewed for 47 internships, which pay $14 an hour, according to FOX10 News. In 2024, 40 rising seniors from Baldwin County schools completed the program after the utilities received 87 applications from 14 public and private schools.

About North Baldwin Utilities

North Baldwin Utilities is a public utility based in Bay Minette that provides water, wastewater and natural gas service in north Baldwin County. The utility recently graduated the first class of its water and wastewater operator apprenticeship program, which is certified by the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, and started a second class of seven apprentices. NBU was also recently honored as one of the founding members of the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund as that fund marked its 50th anniversary.

Tinkering, church and community

When he is not in class or working, Howard likes to work with hardware and computers.

“I like to just mix new things with old hardware. I like to help around with my church. I usually help with a youth group, and I also just like to help around with my community,” he said.

Advice from his mother

Between school, work and service, Howard stays busy. The advice he offers to peers chasing their own goals comes from his mother: always be a leader, not a follower.

“I’ve always taken account of that with everything I do. I don’t try to follow anybody. I try to take my own path. I feel like everybody should have their own path and not follow because it really makes you unique in what you can do in life if you’re a leader.”

— Ethan Howard

For students considering engineering

Howard’s approach reflects several steps that school counselors and college engineering programs commonly recommend for high school students interested in the field:

• Take the most challenging math available, including calculus when possible, along with physics and other lab sciences.
• Look for hands-on experience, such as engineering electives, robotics or project-based classes, and summer programs or internships.
• Use free study tools, such as online lessons and practice problems, to reinforce classroom material.
• Talk to a school counselor about local opportunities, including workforce programs like the Baldwin County utilities internship.
• Research college programs early, including admission requirements and how AP scores transfer.

Baldwin County High School is in Bay Minette, the county seat of Baldwin County, and is part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system.