By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the universe sends you a sign. In Jasmine Cox\u2019s case, that sign was literal. The\u00a0Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> alumna was driving down I-85 South near Charlotte when she saw an informational sign for the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology<\/a> (more commonly known as the Textile Technology Center, or TTC). When she got to her destination, she Googled the center…and changed the course of her career.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cox graduated in 2013 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Textile Technology<\/a> from NC State<\/a>. She enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2014, pursuing a master\u2019s degree in engineering management — but in the spring of her first year, she made that fateful drive past the Textile Technology Center. She was curious and called the center to find out more about their mission. Director Sam Buff invited her for a tour, which ended with the offer of an internship.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe told me that she was interested in getting textile experience and would work for free to get it,\u201d said Buff. \u201cI was sold immediately and knew that her drive would be welcomed in our labs…and it was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n She interned as a testing specialist in TTC\u2019s physical testing lab and then took on several positions with increasing responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI loved what I was able to learn here at the center; being around textiles day in and day out, not just writing a paper on it or doing a project on it, but actually getting a hands-on experience was a great learning lesson for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI always asked a ton of questions, and I always wanted to know more. Whether it was weaving, spinning, yarn extrusion… I tried a little bit of everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s my next step — just continuing to inspire other people to get involved in textiles and learning more myself.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Cox\u2019s hard work and eagerness to learn impressed the center\u2019s leadership, who recently created a position just for her.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has distinguished herself to the point that I trust her managing several of our largest customers,\u201d said Buff. \u201cShe was promoted to special projects coordinator and has done a masterful job. Not only does she manage special projects but she helps with all of our marketing efforts, pricing, sales, training, community outreach, trade shows and more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n She is now the initial contact for all projects, and her role depends on an exceptional combination of technical and customer service skills.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy average day begins with me checking my email, seeing what projects I have to work on, putting out any fires if anything has gone wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can go from several conference calls with customers to go over project timelines, taking new customers on a tour around the center to see what we have to offer them, speaking to high school or college students who come to learn more about textiles…I even do material sourcing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cox is also tasked with recruitment. In that capacity, she travels to elementary, middle and high schools to speak about the TTC and the field of textiles. She helped plan one of the center\u2019s first summer camps for teens last year; about 15 students attended, and she hopes to increase enrollment this year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen (young people) hear my perspective about textiles, they think it\u2019s pretty cool and it sparks some interest,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s my next step — just continuing to inspire other people to get involved in textiles and learning more myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Textile Technology Center<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n The TTC is located in Gaston County in the small town of Belmont, NC, about 15 miles west of uptown Charlotte. It was established in 1943 as a trade school, which people from the area attended to learn skills like spinning, weaving or loom repair.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the industry changed, so did the center,\u201d said Cox. \u201cNow we do research and testing and product development to help support the textile industry.\u201d The TTC offers a range of services from fabric formation and melt extrusion to flammability testing and defect analysis, and serves startups and smaller companies as well as entities including VF Corporation<\/a>, Nike<\/a> and the Department of Defense<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome of the companies that you learn about at NC State and you dream about working with…here, I interact with them on a daily basis,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Education<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cox initially planned to study chemical engineering at NC State, but wanted to change majors after her second semester. Her father, a Wilson College of Textiles alumnus with a degree in textile management, suggested she look into textiles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn my head I was thinking,<\/span> I\u2019m not a designer<\/span><\/i>, but my dad said, \u2018No — they make artificial arteries and other really cool stuff!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Intrigued, she attended an open house with her father — and decided to follow in his footsteps to study textiles. She graduated with her B.S. in Textile Technology in 2013, took graduate courses at UNC Charlotte and is currently pursuing her Master of Textiles online<\/a> through the Wilson College of Textiles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWorking here, I\u2019m able to see a different side of textiles,\u201d she said. \u201cI was used to reading a study guide or textbook or writing a paper, but after working here, it got me excited. Being in Gaston County, I see all of the textile companies that are in need of young talent and that just made me want to learn even more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n She plans to one day earn her Ph.D., which she says would be \u201ca dream come true.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes the universe sends you a sign. In Jasmine Cox\u2019s case, that sign was literal. The\u00a0Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> alumna was driving down I-85 South near Charlotte when she saw an informational sign for the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology<\/a> (more commonly known as the Textile Technology Center, or TTC). When she got to her destination, she Googled the center...and changed the course of her career.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cox graduated in 2013 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Textile Technology<\/a> from NC State<\/a>. She enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2014, pursuing a master\u2019s degree in engineering management -- but in the spring of her first year, she made that fateful drive past the Textile Technology Center. She was curious and called the center to find out more about their mission. Director Sam Buff invited her for a tour, which ended with the offer of an internship.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe told me that she was interested in getting textile experience and would work for free to get it,\u201d said Buff. \u201cI was sold immediately and knew that her drive would be welcomed in our labs...and it was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n She interned as a testing specialist in TTC\u2019s physical testing lab and then took on several positions with increasing responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI loved what I was able to learn here at the center; being around textiles day in and day out, not just writing a paper on it or doing a project on it, but actually getting a hands-on experience was a great learning lesson for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI always asked a ton of questions, and I always wanted to know more. Whether it was weaving, spinning, yarn extrusion... I tried a little bit of everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s my next step -- just continuing to inspire other people to get involved in textiles and learning more myself.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Cox\u2019s hard work and eagerness to learn impressed the center\u2019s leadership, who recently created a position just for her.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has distinguished herself to the point that I trust her managing several of our largest customers,\u201d said Buff. \u201cShe was promoted to special projects coordinator and has done a masterful job. Not only does she manage special projects but she helps with all of our marketing efforts, pricing, sales, training, community outreach, trade shows and more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n She is now the initial contact for all projects, and her role depends on an exceptional combination of technical and customer service skills.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy average day begins with me checking my email, seeing what projects I have to work on, putting out any fires if anything has gone wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can go from several conference calls with customers to go over project timelines, taking new customers on a tour around the center to see what we have to offer them, speaking to high school or college students who come to learn more about textiles...I even do material sourcing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cox is also tasked with recruitment. In that capacity, she travels to elementary, middle and high schools to speak about the TTC and the field of textiles. She helped plan one of the center\u2019s first summer camps for teens last year; about 15 students attended, and she hopes to increase enrollment this year.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen (young people) hear my perspective about textiles, they think it\u2019s pretty cool and it sparks some interest,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s my next step -- just continuing to inspire other people to get involved in textiles and learning more myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Textile Technology Center<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n The TTC is located in Gaston County in the small town of Belmont, NC, about 15 miles west of uptown Charlotte. It was established in 1943 as a trade school, which people from the area attended to learn skills like spinning, weaving or loom repair.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the industry changed, so did the center,\u201d said Cox. \u201cNow we do research and testing and product development to help support the textile industry.\u201d The TTC offers a range of services from fabric formation and melt extrusion to flammability testing and defect analysis, and serves startups and smaller companies as well as entities including VF Corporation<\/a>, Nike<\/a> and the Department of Defense<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n