At just 18 years old, Julio Ramirez is already making a name for himself at Duncan Aviation, turning a summer internship into a passion-filled career path in fabrication. Since joining the team as an intern, Julio has thrown himself into every opportunity with relentless energy, an eagerness to learn, and a drive to improve—not just for himself, but for the next generation coming behind him.
Julio first connected with Duncan Aviation through the Lincoln North Star High School Aviation and Technical Education Focus Program. He originally planning to attend college full time after he graduated, but he quickly realized that the hands-on experience at Duncan Aviation was teaching him more than he could’ve imagined.
“After my senior year of high school Fabrication Master Specialist Mark McCall offered me an internship in Duncan Manufacturing Solutions (DMS) and figured I’d at least see where it took me,” Julio says. “After just one month, I was in love. I was learning more here than I would have in a classroom. Plus, Duncan Aviation has been pushing me to keep learning—and that’s something I’ve come to love.”
Because of that, this Fall, Julio will be attending Southeast Community College to study precision machining while staying on full-time at Duncan Aviation. Julio credits Fabrication Specialist II Brendan Nielsen for pushing him to achieve all that he can.
“Brendan is one of the hardest workers in our department,” Julio says. “As my mentor and good friend, he pushes me to want to work harder, even outside of work. He’s the reason why I could possibly think that I can do school and work at the same time.”
Throughout Julio’s 3-month internship, he said that’s the most learning he’s ever done. He credits that to Fabrication Master Specialist Dale Storm.
“Every day he had something new to teach me,” says Julio. “He didn’t hold my hand, but he was by my side throughout it all pushing me to get better at what I was doing. When I first started my internship, I could barely drill a straight hole. Now, I’m doing sheet metal work, tapped into welding, composite work, vacuum sealing, carbon fiber work, and working on belly panels for our charter customer.”
After his internship ended, Julio was hired on full-time as a DMS Fabrication Specialist I by DMS Manager Scott Stenka. But, Julio wasn’t so sure he’d make it to this point—halfway through his internship he made a mistake and thought he would be reprimanded for it.
“Not only did Scott not get mad at me, the first thing he did was check to make sure I was okay, and asked if I learned anything from this,” Julio says. “He used it as a training opportunity and we helped each other learn from my mistake so new fabrication specialists coming through the department wouldn’t make the same mistake.”
Julio said those words truly stood out to him, and to this day, he is amazed at how Scott constantly checks up on him, and truly cares about his goals and passions outside of work. He said those actions makes him feel like the department is one big family.
“I love what I do,” says Julio. “Every day is a new challenge and I constantly have to be on my toes. This is an experience I never would have got in college.”
Julio’s boss, DMS Team Leader Dustin Blaser said that Julio is a breath of fresh air in the department.
“I appreciate his eagerness to learn and his drive to achieve his goals,” he said. “I truly hope that he achieves every goal that he is striving for. I think we will continue to see great things from Julio throughout his career at Duncan Aviation. Someone like Julio that has a dream, is driven and has an opportunity like Duncan Aviation to feed that flame will do great things.”
Dustin went on to explain that it’s the little things that make Julio stand out.
“Julio asks truly thought out questions, asks to get involved in training opportunities, is polite, respectful, and is enjoyable to be around,” he said. “I hope we get more young people that are as eager as him to learn.”
Julio has big ambitions. He said he would like to be a Master Technician by 5 years, and one day, he would like to be named Fabricator of the Year.
“I know if I keep pushing, I can make it,” he says. “I work 6 days a week, and often come in on weekends to learn as much as I can. At night I’m always reading books and studying the different machines the team operates. I even took a blacksmithing class so I can learn more about metal work. Also, Fabrication Master Specialist Curt Wilhelm is always offering me his help, whether it’s practicing welding, running through ideas, or helping me on personal projects.”
A typical day for Julio starts when his alarm goes of at 4:45 am. The daily 6:00 am meetings help get the team on the same page, and lays out a game plan for the day. Although the day is a grind, Julio says the team always finds a way to have fun. By the end of the day Julio is exhausted, but said he always stays behind to get prepared for the next day.
It’s that same spirit of learning and mentoring that drives Julio to give back. His favorite project so far? Working with LNS students, just like he once was.
“Helping teach them is my way of giving back to my community,” he says. “I encourage them to take the opportunity seriously and truly make it theirs because that’s what I did, and I love where I’m at in my life.”
Julio walks students through a full fabrication project—from CAD files to carbon fiber molding, sheet metal tabs, nameplate engraving, and more. He teaches not just the how, but the why, explaining nuances like how laser cutting can affect the temper of metal—details he’s picked up through hard-earned experience.
Julio says the LNS Aviation Program prepared him for the opportunities that would come his way.
“In high school you are just kind of floating around and don’t have a lot of direction as to where you want your life to go,” he explains. “For me, the program opened up several doors and gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
Julio loves how down to earth the Duncan family is, and is amazed at how the such a large company can still feel like a local, family-owned company. Although his team members work hard and are always pushing him, they still find a way to make each day fun and enjoyable.
When Julio turned 18, he was greeted at work to a homemade birthday cake from his boss, Dustin.
“This is my first full-time job, and I’ve never had a true boss per say, but I assumed a boss wouldn’t be the person to bake you a cake” Julio says. “Although he’s my boss, he’s more of a mentor and role model to me. He doesn’t make it seem like there is a hierarchy, and he’s always intrigued and interested in what I’m doing. It doesn’t seem like these are my coworkers, but more my friends and family.”
Julio said he is beyond grateful for every single team member at Duncan Aviation who has helped him get to where he is today.
The best advice Julio has for students is you aren’t wasting your time if you try something new.
“Take the internship,” he says. “Even if you struggle and hate what you’re doing, you are still learning. You found your weakness, and learned what you need to improve on. There is no such thing as wasted time.”
Whether it’s helping students discover their potential or mastering a new technique on the job, Julio's story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when talent meets opportunity—and when hard work meets heart.