By Kate Wallace
Frank Helseth
Auto Body Instructor
Frank Helseth joined the Air Force in 1980. He was in Washington for 2.5 years, Alaska for 3 years, and joined the Reserves in 1986. In 2003-2005, he was activated in support of Iraqi freedom and took 4 trips to Oman and Iraq for 4 months at a time. In 2015, he retired from the Reserves as an E7 Master Sergeant.
He was retired for two years when his wife told him he needed to find something to do, so he joined the Auto Body program as a student as a hobby. He had a 1970 Buick and a 1971 Nova that both needed work. After graduating in 2019, he was hired at SCTCC as a Lab Assistant for fall 2019. Then in spring 2020, he taught his first two classes and was invited back to teach for fall 2020. Teaching for him comes naturally because when he was in the Air Force, he taught Reservists how to fix aircraft.
His advice for veterans: “Further your education. I was 59 when I started school and now I just went back to work at age 62. Never say never, because life always changes. It doesn’t hurt to have a degree or school behind you. You don’t always necessarily need to go into a trade, and if you don’t know what you want to do, start with generals and visit the trades and different classes. Any of the instructors are more than happy to sit down with a person and explain the program.”