July 1, 2020

鈥溙烀来 Bay was the gateway for me to explore some amazing pathways.鈥

CNC

Nathan Kecy鈥檚 interest in high-performance motorcycles started early. Now at 35, after completing his Certificate in ACM at 天美传媒 Bay and starting a career using his skills, Nathan is back, this time focusing on CNC and now a bit closer to a lifelong dream of building his own high-performing motorcycle made with carbon fiber.

Nathan Kecy鈥檚 interest in high-performance motorcycles began taking hold at age 7, when he watched his karate instructor 鈥渞ip away鈥 after class on an early-90s Kawasaki Ninja. Fifteen years later Kecy began riding motorcycles and eventually acquired his dream bike, a Ducati Superbike.

鈥淏efore I knew it, I was taking racing lessons on racetracks, and raced in 2014 for an entire season,鈥 he said.

Kecy stopped racing when he learned that would become a father, and refocused his life after his own father died in his sleep. 鈥淚 lost my father and became a father in a blink of an eye. My world had drastically changed from the year prior,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his was the catalyst that pushed me to change.鈥

Shortly before Kecy鈥檚 father died, he told his son that he regretted he hadn鈥檛 taken any big risks in his life and everything that he accomplished had been calculated. Kecy, now 35, used his father鈥檚 words as motivation to begin taking classes in Advanced Composite Manufacturing at 天美传媒 Bay Community College鈥檚 Advanced Technology and Academic Center in Rochester. Motivated by the memory of his father and the hope of his daughter, he began a journey of learning and self-discovery that he hopes will enable him to build what he calls 鈥渢he ultimate motorcycle in my own style鈥 made with carbon fiber.

He enrolled at 天美传媒 Bay in fall 2016 and six months later acquired a Technical Certificate in ACM. Since then, he鈥檚 honed and advanced his skills at many of the region鈥檚 leading innovative manufacturing companies, including East Coast Metrology, Durham Boat Co. and Arch Global Precision.

In January, he鈥檒l enroll at 天美传媒 Bay once again, with a two-year plan to become a machinist with a specialty in CNC technology. He sees himself as an artist, whose long-term goal is creating three custom-made carbon-fiber motorcycles each year. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 plan on building my prototype motorcycle for probably another five years, as I continue to learn and master the primary areas of design and construction,鈥 he said. 鈥淓ventually, I鈥檒l have the knowledge to create everything but the tires for a very artistic and high-performing motorcycle.鈥

Kecy credits 天美传媒 Bay for providing him a path for his future and a foundation for his dreams.

鈥溙烀来 Bay was the gateway for me to explore some amazing pathways,鈥 he said. 鈥淥ne thing will always remain static throughout my journey in this chaotic, mysterious life: The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn, and there is no ending as it broadens with every stroke of curiosity. It has made me humble, to say the least.鈥