“My interest was sparked after listening to my grandfather’s stories about his work and it was then that I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
The Hugh A. Krentz Exemplary Student Award was established in 2015 to support Canadian students entering their final year of study in a minimum two-year welding undergraduate program.
Patrick Breton
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Cégep de Trois-Rivières, Metallurgical Engineering Technology—Mechanical Welding and Fabrication
Patrick Breton has been a student at Cégep de Trois-Rivières for two years. He is enrolled in the Metallurgical Engineering Technology—Mechanical Welding and Fabrication program.
Patrick grew up in the small town of Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce. He was inspired to pursue welding thanks to his grandfather, who was assembler, welder, supervisor and a welding inspector for Canam Group, which was founded in Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce.
“My interest was sparked after listening to my grandfather’s stories about his work and it was then that I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” said Patrick.
Patrick’s father also worked for Canam Group, and as a young boy Patrick would accompany him to visit factories and construction sites. He was always impressed by the size and complexity of those projects. After working in two welding factories for a few years, Patrick’s interest in welding increased. He wanted to find a challenging opportunity that suited his interests and abilities. He chose to enter the Metallurgical Engineering Technology program to further his knowledge, and says he adores this area of study.
In his first year, Patrick received a scholarship from the Cégep de Trois-Rivières Foundation. He continues to work very hard to achieve excellent academic results. His passion enables him to be successful in his studies.
Patrick wants to attain his welding inspection certification and pass his non-destructive test, and then go on to explore different methods such as visual inspection, ultrasound, magnetoscopy, or X-ray welding.
“The visual field truly interests me because, for now, it is the area that I am most passionate about and it was my grandfather’s specialization,” he said.
Patrick is a meticulous person with high expectations for himself. He looks forward to getting more practical experience in the industry with a company that has the same values as he does, and he hopes to travel around the country to learn all he can. Eventually, he wants to teach so he can share his passion and knowledge of the metallurgical field with others.
“When I do something, I put all my heart and soul and energy into it,” he said.
Congratulations to Patrick on his accomplishments so far.