Jazmine Cookson grew up helping her dad, James, build race trucks. Now, as a CNC Machining student at Northeast Tech Claremore, she’s shifting gears and learning to make the parts that go under the hood.
“I’m working on a caliper bracket for my dad right now,” Cookson said. “I had to grind an eighth of an inch off, so it fits smooth against the frame. There’s a lot of pride in knowing it’s going on the truck.”
The 20-year-old spent much of her childhood at the Tulsa Speedway or working alongside her dad in their home shop.
“Racing is very personal for our family. As soon as I was born, I was out in the shop with him,” Cookson laughed. “My dad had an S-10. I was always helping him with things like bleeding the brakes or fixing a small part, or putting new turbos on. We’ve always had fun tinkering, but getting to make the parts definitely makes it a lot cooler.”
In the CNC Machining program, students learn both manual and automated manufacturing processes to transform raw materials into precision-machined parts. The technology is used to make parts for everything from airplanes and mobile devices to medical equipment and automobiles.
“It's a good challenge,” Cookson said. “I'm not someone who likes to sit in the classroom and hear a whole lecture. I like to go see how it's done. This program is very hands-on, and that's definitely something the high school version of me would have loved.”
Just four months ago, Cookson’s life looked dramatically different. She had left college and was working as a server in Wichita while also searching for an office job that offered more consistent pay.
“I went to college for a year actually for softball,” Cookson said. “I was like, ‘I want to go get a degree.’ But it was not for me. I really did want to go to work, but everyone said, ‘you have to go get a degree to get a good job.’” But you really don’t.”
Cookson made the decision to move home after encouragement from both her parents and a cousin who works in the CNC industry.
“I was so over serving and living paycheck to paycheck. One day I said, ‘I’m moving back to Oklahoma and I’m going to do Tech for CNC.’ I know there’s a high demand for CNC machinists, so I said, ‘let's go ahead and try it.’
October is Manufacturing Month, highlighting an industry that continues to need skilled workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET OnLine projects an average of 29,500 job openings for machinists each year from 2024-34, driven by both industry growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.
For Cookson, CNC Machining is the last thing she expected to find herself doing. It’s also the one thing she’s now most sure of.
“Tech, it’s like a second chance. I never would have thought I'd do this, but I wouldn't change it. It's fun,” Cookson said. “I definitely see this leading towards wanting to find a job making race car parts. To be able to see a race car out there and be like, ‘I cut a part that's probably on that right now.’ That'd be pretty cool. That's the dream.”