She applied at a wood-finishing shop, but it still didn’t hit all the marks for her. A friend directed her to the Dragonfly website, and it “blew me out of the water,” she said. She met the owners and applied. “They took me on with little-to-no experience, except for painting and finishing. I was drawn to the people they were, and the art background of the company.” Meyer has been in the pro- gram for seven months so far, and spends a lot of time in the shop, including weekends learning online through NTCA University. “Learning online is so helpful in preparing for the next week; the following week you are doing the things I just learned. So your mind is always on it,” she said. “I really like the format, with the videos and the tests afterwards.” The training at Dragonfly has laid the groundwork for Maria to be excited about her future, interested in following in the example and level of craftsmanship Lee has set. Maria Meyer, 23, made the leap from col- lege studies to tile apprentice with Dragonfly. Maria and Jane with the NTCA University curriculum, which is an essential compo- nent of Dragonfly’s apprentice- ship pro- gram. The training at Dragonfly has laid the groundwork for Maria to be excited about her future, interested in following in the example and level of craftsmanship Lee has set. Meyer enjoys the attention to detail, being creative , and being a spokesperson as a woman in the industry and for peers who are studying art and looking for a creative outlet after graduation. TRAINING & EDUCATION ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 60 TileLetter | October 2018