When Clayton Kohn was experiencing one of economic downturns that hit the energy industry and Houston metro area in 2008, he realized that he needed to expand his skills and knowledge. He was working industrial construction at the time, as a pipefitter, and beyond the on-off nature of the work, he was also often hundreds of miles away from his home for months at a time.
However, he chose a route that many others wouldn't in their 20s – he enlisted with the Navy, on a technical track as a fire controlman.
“I had considered the military in the past, because my family has a background in it,” he said. “The economic downturn kind of gave me that extra shove to go ahead and enlist.”
Kohn wasn't working as a firefighter, a common misconception based on the job title. Instead, he was handling IT and networking for the weapons direction and fire control systems onboard the USS Mobile Bay (CG-53), a guided missile cruiser. He served for six years, making lifelong friends and solidifying his work ethic in the process.
“Overall, I do miss being in the Navy. it was a very proud time, and I miss being able to wear the uniform. They always say you meet some of the best friends in the navy, and that's definitely true. I had some of the best times of my life,” he said. “As far as skills, just being in the military in general, it instills a very good work ethic in you. I didn't have a bad one going into the military, but I think it enhanced it.”
That work ethic has now carried over to his studies. Kohn is the 2023 Outstanding Senior for the Petroleum Engineering Department at the Cullen College of Engineering. His decision to further his education was one that had been brewing for a while.
“From the time I got out in February, until I started school in August,” he said. “I felt like I should be using my brain more, and that's what drove me toward engineering.”
Kohn grew up in Texas, and graduated from Louise High School – a small district of about 450 students, with graduating classes typically in the range of 40 students. It's about 90 minutes to the southwest of Houston, past Richmond, Wharton and El Campo. UH's location was a factor in Kohn's college selection.
“Essentially, what really made me choose UH specifically was its proximity to my family. Between working in construction, a good portion of the jobs were out of state, and then six years in the Navy, I was really gone for 10 or 11 years,” he said. “I missed a lot of things. Funerals, weddings, baby showers. The time I was gone was when things were really happening. That's kind of what really drove me to go to UH. At the end of the day, I could have gone anywhere with the GI bill and my military benefits. I looked at their engineering department and they had a whole Rolodex of programs I could choose from.”
It was a decision he made in consultation with his wife, Monique, who he met while he was in the Navy. She served more than eight years in the Navy as a SONAR technician.
“She's from Albuquerque, New Mexico. When we started dating, I told her from the get go that I was going back to Texas,” he said, laughing.
Kohn attributes his academic success to Monique, as well as his uncle and aunt, Mike and Christie Byrne. While Kohn has been earning his degree at UH, Monique was on an educational journey of her own. She earned her degree in sonography from the Pima Medical Institute, and now works as a traveling ultrasound technologist in that specialty.
Kohn said that his uncle has also served as a sounding board for him, when he's struggled with academic challenges or worries about the petroleum industry.
“It was very nice to have that mentorship going through this,” he said. “I was older, going back to school, so learning calculus and chemistry was completely overwhelming for someone 30 years old. He was always there to help guide me and give me positive reinforcement to go through these things.”
“When oil dropped into the negative, and I'm going to school for petroleum engineering, I'm thinking, what have I done?” Kohn said, laughing. “[Mike's] older, so he's like, hey, I've been through this, this is how the oil field works. It's going to go down, it's going to go up, but you're getting into the right industry.”
Kohn said Monique and Mike have been “the two pillars” he's needed while he's earned his degree.
“She has probably suffered just as much as me, during my progression through school, because I am such an OCD overachiever,” he said. “I stress myself and give myself anxiety through the roof, and when I'm stressed out she's supportive and always tries to see the brighter side of things. I honestly couldn't have done things without Monique or Mike.”
He added that he's glad to have chosen to study Petroleum Engineering at Cullen.
“The Petroleum Engineering Department has some of the best educators that I've gotten to witness,” he said. “They're people who truly care about your well-being and answer your questions, and encourage you to come to office hours.”
Kohn graduates in May, and he has already lined up a job with bp.
“I did get hired full-time, and I'll start in late June. I got exactly what I wanted,” he said. “”I wanted to do drilling or production, and that's what I got into, offshore drilling. Mike was a driller for Hilcorp, so he had a lot of influence as to why I chose that path.”
“bp has a great in-house training program, so I can still progress in my career through them. Whatever I want to learn about, I can ask them, to make me better at my job and to make me more well-rounded. I'm excited to go work for them and to start working as an engineer, instead of just training as one.”