Why this man went from working on a North AL horse farm to becoming an engineer

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UNA graduate, Parker Lamb, and his family — Parker Lamb, and his wife, Sami, with their daughter, Gracie. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Parker Lamb’s story is proof that somehow horse farms and engineering can be connected.

Read on to learn why working on the farm led him to engineering and how he’s landed a fantastic job in North Alabama.

Meet Parker + his family

The Lamb family is one of the sweetest I have ever met.

Parker met his wife, Sami, in 2018 at The University of North Alabama. They married in 2021 and had their now seven-month-old adorable daughter, Gracie, earlier this year.

They just moved into a new home near downtown Florence in a quiet, peaceful and walkable neighborhood. In his free time, Parker enjoys cooking (mostly grilling and smoking), competing for the best yard in the neighborhood and perfecting his dad jokes.

His non-linear college experience at UNA

Parker working in UNA’s Genetor—a maker space. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)
Parker on the horse farm. (Parker Lamb)

Originally from Franklin, TN, Parker had UNA on his radar from an early age due to family connections. He also always appreciated the university’s size—not too big or too small.

His path at UNA is proof that you don’t need to have a linear college experience to be successful. After high school, Parker started his undergraduate degree at UNA in 2014, but after a year, he decided to take a few years off.

During the interim, Parker began working at a horse farm, caring for the stalls and cleaning and feeding the horses. There, he found his passion for engineering.

“I found a meaningful connection at the farm. The farm owner was a civil engineer, and his career inspired me to go back to UNA to pursue electro-mechanical engineering.”
Parker Lamb

Exceptional Education at The University of North Alabama

Pursuing his Master of Applied Manufacturing Engineering

Parker standing beside his capstone research project for his engineering undergraduate degree at UNA. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Parker came back to UNA in 2018 and absolutely loved his undergraduate experience, thanks to his top-notch professors.

“From the time I got started in my engineering classes, the professors were interactive, involved, and most of all, there for any questions I had.

I credit their attitudes toward us students to my success and my passion for engineering that I now possess.”
Parker Lamb

After having such a strong in-person undergraduate experience, Parker knew he wanted to pursue his master’s degree at UNA but felt unsure about doing it online.

“I felt hesitant about getting an online degree because I generally do better with in-person interactions.

But, after talking with the UNA professors, they seemed willing to take any time out of the day to help me and share their knowledge of engineering. Their dedication sold me on the master’s program in Applied Manufacturing Engineering.”
Parker Lamb

Landing a great job with TVA

The flexibility of the online Master of Applied Manufacturing has also been huge for Parker, since he works full-time.

During his undergraduate experience, his UNA professors connected him with the Tennessee Valley Authority for an internship, which eventually led to his now full-time position as a Telecommunication Technician.

Between his demanding job, baby at home and home-moving process, Parker has appreciated getting to complete his coursework on his own time. As of fall 2024, Parker began his final Applied Manufacturing Engineering class and expects to graduate in December.

Above all, he’s valued how his UNA engineering experience has made him a better critical thinker and problem solver, equipping him for his role with TVA.

“I’ve definitely learned particular skill sets from my engineering classes that have been helpful, but most importantly, I’ve learned to approach my work differently.

A lot of it comes down to the thought process. Manufacturing engineering is efficiency and managing costs. My classes at UNA have taught me how to analyze priorities and build mechanisms to be as efficient as possible.”
Parker Lamb