The summer before his senior year at North Penn High School, Nick Seiberlich, of North Wales, wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after his graduation. While many of his friends were visiting colleges and submitting applications, he was working at McDonald’s and mulling over the idea of joining the military.

However, the events of his senior year quickly changed his thought process. Seiberlich was accepted into North Penn High School Engineering Academy’s “Project Lead the Way,” a national research-based program to give students rigorous, relevant, reality-based knowledge to better prepare them for college.

Seiberlich decided to apply to the program for two reasons. First, he was impressed by his father, Ted Seiberlich, and the contributions he made to the world as an engineer, and he wanted to do the same. Second, one of his high school teachers encouraged him and other students to try this promising program.

The Academy and the program proved to be more than he expected.

“I was fortunate to be involved with research at the high-school level,” Seiberlich said. “We learned how to electrospin phase change materials (PCM) as PCM nanostructures are capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy.”

"The scholarship was an incredible gift. It paid for all of my classes, books and even a calculator I needed. It made life much easier." - Nick Seiberlich '18

During this time, he met an engineering researcher from Montgomery County Community College, Jean-Jacques Reymond, who worked under a NASA “Engage and Inspire” program funded by the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, helping students from both North Penn and Souderton Area high schools with tangible engineering research.

“Reymond was the one who convinced me to come to Montco to pursue engineering,” Seiberlich said.

Research at Montco

Putting his military aspirations aside, Seiberlich started at Montco in the fall of 2016 following his graduation from North Penn. As part of the NASA research program, Seiberlich spent a year-and-a-half with Reymond working with nanocoatings to protect live electronic circuits in fresh water and seawater. The products Seiberlich experimented with were initially developed by a defense lab in Virginia for the U.S. Air Force and a Florida company, which bought the rights to the technology.

Seiberlich worked with advanced nanotech processes that were never performed before, something rarely done at community college-level or even university-level, said Reymond.

While taking engineering classes and conducting research, Seiberlich worked to help pay for tuition and related school costs. Leaving the fast-food scene, he sought a higher-paying job in manufacturing as a computer numerical control (CNC) machine operator, making gun parts on a six-axis milling machine. After a few months, he switched to work as an HVAC technician.

“Both of these jobs taught me valuable skills,” Seiberlich said. “In engineering classes, I learned the technical aspects of the job, but the hands-on experience allowed me to learn how to troubleshoot and gain a better understanding of how things work.”

Scholarship gift

During his third semester, Seiberlich was asked by the College’s Dean of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the time, Dr. David DiMattio, to speak to Montco’s STEM Executive Council about the research he was doing in this NASA-PSGC project.

“Nick did a presentation about nanotechnology and the projects they were working on. It was some heavy-hitting material,” recalls Kenneth D. Baker, CEO of NewAge Industries. He has served on Montco’s Foundation Board of Directors since 2008 and was a member of Montco’s STEM Executive Council, which includes executives from Montgomery County businesses related to STEM fields.

While Seiberlich was talking, he alluded to his struggle with working while taking classes. Afterward, Baker spoke to him about the scholarships he and his wife, Valerie Baker, created for Montco students.

Working with Montco’s Advancement team, the Bakers have established the KVB Foundation Scholarship fund, which has provided 15 scholarships per year to help Montco students complete their educational goals. The Bakers decided to provide a scholarship for Nick.

“The scholarship was an incredible gift. It paid for all of my classes, books and even a calculator I needed,” Seiberlich said. “It made life much easier.”

The Bakers are proponents of higher education, and they are passionate about Montco’s mission and the work of its employees.

“I don’t have a college degree—I discovered when I was going to college that I have dyslexia and I dropped out. For me, college wasn’t the way to learn,” Baker said. “But, I firmly believe education unlocks opportunities for students.”

In addition to serving on the Foundation Board and STEM Council, Baker volunteers as a guest lecturer sharing entrepreneurial and marketing skills in a “Shark Tank” style with Montco business students. Valerie Baker teaches Psychology classes at the College, and their daughter is a Montco alumna.

Next steps: Temple University & internship

After Seiberlich graduated from Montco with a 3.99 GPA in 2018, he continued his engineering studies at Temple University. The following summer, he started an internship with NewAge Industries based in Southampton, Pa.

“Our product engineering group needed another pair of hands—a technician who could help out with projects and who was both technologically and mechanically oriented. I told them about Nick. He submitted his resume and they hired him,” said Baker, explaining that NewAge is employee-owned as part of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

“ESOP gives employees a piece of the action,” Baker said. “They have the opportunity to be involved in the wealth creation of the organization. It is a win-win situation all the way around.”

NewAge manufactures plastic and rubber tubing and fittings. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NewAge has played a critical role in providing high-demand materials needed to combat the virus.

“We have provided hundreds of thousands of hoses for ventilators,” Baker said. “We also provide single-use systems for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies developing the vaccine and treatment. We’ve been hiring more employees on many levels to keep up with the demand.”

Seiberlich said he learned a lot during the summer internship, which stretched into several months.

“I moved from an engineering intern to a manufacturing engineering assistant,” he said. “I helped with projects relating to lean initiatives where we reduced manufacturing costs. By taking on time-consuming projects and daily activities, I tried to find ways to make production faster and more efficient.”

Many of the projects Seiberlich has worked on help to support the COVID-19 customers.

During this time, Seiberlich’s father also became an employee/owner of NewAge.

“My dad worked as a quality engineer for Alcon for more than 25 years, and he recently had retired,” Seiberlich said. “NewAge has a referral program, and I told my dad about an opening for a quality technician. While he was overqualified for the position, it was perfect for him because he wanted a less-demanding position. “

In March 2020, as Seiberlich was finishing his courses, he and the rest of the students at Temple made the transition to online courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was not easy, because I prefer to talk to my professors in person,” Seiberlich said. “With school and working remotely, I was often on the computer for 15 to 16 hours a day.”

Starting his career

Despite the challenges, Seiberlich graduated from Temple in May, and he was offered a full-time permanent position as a manufacturing engineer with NewAge. Now Seiberlich is a co-owner of NewAge.

“Nick has been a wonderful hire—he’s enthusiastic, involved in many projects and learning like mad,” said Baker. “It’s nice to see Nick and his father chatting and joking as they go out to lunch together.”

Making a difference

MCCC’s Foundation is able to make a difference in the lives of students thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents, community friends, private foundations and corporations. To see how you can make a difference and discuss how your gift can be most meaningful to you, contact the Foundation at 215-641-6324 or foundation@mc3.edu.