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Tooele Technical College student credits academy for career turnaround at council event
Summary
Student of the Year Ty Dobbman told the Tooele City Council he recovered from injury and found a new career through Tooele Technical College's Police Academy; interim president Kent Tigerson described expansion of instructional space funded by a $27.5 million state appropriation and student placement outcomes.
At the start of the Jan. 21 meeting the council recognized Tooele Technical College and its 2025 Student of the Year, Ty Dobbman, who described how the police academy program helped him recover after an injury and launch a new career with the Tooele County Sheriff's Office.
Interim Tooele Technical College President Kent Tigerson told the council the college is a state institution under the Utah System of Higher Education and described a recent $27.5 million state-funded building expansion that doubled instructional space, opening additional capacity for training programs aimed at local employers. Tigerson said Tooele Tech served 1,231 students in FY2025, that roughly 40% were high-school students, and that the college reported an 86% placement rate for graduates and an estimated $17 million annual wage impact from graduates.
Student Dobbman, a former athlete and an academy graduate now assigned to field training, recounted being struck in a traffic collision earlier in the month and said the Police Academy helped him regain purpose and employment. "The police academy program changed my life," he told the council, adding that instructors pushed cadets physically and mentally and that he had graduated into a role with the Tooele County Sheriff's Office.
Council members praised the student and the college; Tigerson invited the council to the college's May 14 graduation ceremony.
