Student Experience: Marques G. Washington

“I took a drafting course when I was in high school in Corsicana. We got the chance to draw whatever we wanted, and I thought it was really fun. So I decided to get an associate degree, but the technical institute nearest my home was really expensive. My mom found the college on the Internet — I’d never even been there before I went to sign up for the CADD program.

“Mike Kirkpatrick [now retired after more than 30 years of teaching] was one of my favorite professors, and my favorite CADD class was 3-D modeling. “Now I’m the CADD program coordinator and a faculty member. What I love about my job is helping students who start out not being able to draw anything, then go on to four-year universities or get good jobs.”

Marques Washington earned an associate degree in Computer Aided Drafting and Design in 2001 and began teaching in the CADD program in 2009.


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Abdul Jebbar Ali

Abdul Jebbar Ali

Map Specialist Federal Flood Certification Corp./First Horizon Home Corp.
“In my current job as a map specialist, I process a request from clients for flood determination on their property. Someday, I would like to combine my job skills in engineering, construction and CADD, added to the new geospatial technology skills I’m developing.”
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology
Leonardo Figueroa

Leonardo Figueroa

Pipefitter Refrigeration Design Technology
“The program was excellent, and I learned a lot. For instance, I had absolutely no knowledge of electrical systems, and now I feel pretty comfortable with them. My instructors really pushed me. It’s a program I’ve already recommended to several people.”
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology
Vassil Doudov

Vassil Doudov

Coordinator, Client Relationship Management at Dallas College
“I recently completed the USI Dallas College Drone Workshop and gained valuable hands-on experience in just a few days. Mr. Hill’s expertise and passion made the training especially impactful.”
Drone Technology
Theresa Tennyson-Young

Theresa Tennyson-Young

Senior Inventory Analyst Cummins Southern Plains, LLC
“My Logistics classes have given me new ideas on ways to handle things at work. And the convenience of the online courses lets me fit school around my work schedule, which isn’t always easy, but definitely worth the effort.”
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Marques Washington
Marques G. Washington
CADD Program Coordinator and Faculty

Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD)
School of Manufacturing and Industrial Technology
Updated October 7, 2026