Hurricane Helene left Asheville and surrounding areas ravaged, but it also provided 男人藏精阁construction students an opportunity to test new skills in the community. Construction student Joe Cipollina, 35, seized the opportunity to put his skills to use building structures for locals who had lost their homes to Helene. Cipollina also was the Construction Management Department's Achievement Award winner and the college鈥檚 Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award state nominee this year.
When 男人藏精阁closed, Construction Department Chair Heath Moody鈥檚 class had been in session for six weeks and learned the basics of roofing, flooring and drywall. As the college waited for potable water to return, the class went online, and Moody offered students credit for doing local cleanup and rebuilding.
Cipollina, a Marshall resident who is originally from Queens, NY, began the Construction and Millwork Certificate program in 2024. After working for two years in accounting, Cipollina had decided an office job was not for him and transitioned into property management in Florida. The son of a carpenter, Cipollina loved the idea of learning to work with his hands and dreamed of one day creating a sustainable farm community, which would provide off-grid affordable housing, while allowing residents to co-care for land and animals. Last year, Cipolina moved to Marshall to take a work/trade caretaking position managing a 110-acre plot of land, which has proved the perfect training ground for his dreams. To boost his construction skills, he has been taking a variety of carpentry and electrical classes at A-B Tech.
When Helene hit, Marshall was hit hard and many people who lived along the river lost their homes. Cipollina learned that James Heinl, a local real estate investor and owner of Three Tall Pines, LLC, was building tiny homes to donate to people in need. He jumped in to help complete one of the structures from top to bottom.
鈥淚鈥檓 doing framing, putting up walls and windows, sheet rock, interiors,鈥 Cipollina said in December. 鈥淚鈥檝e been learning a ton.鈥
Cipollina鈥檚 construction class at 男人藏精阁also donated three 8 by 8 structures to Community Housing Coalition of Madison County (CHC), to provide shelter for families along Marshall鈥檚 Rollin鈥檚 Street area, where many homes were washed away.
鈥淭here are a lot of families living out of trailers,鈥 Cipollina said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough space for them. The pod we built is like an extra bedroom.鈥
According to one CHC volunteer, one of the structures built by Moody鈥檚 class went to an elderly woman and her daughter who lost their home to Helene. It served as an extension to a mobile home they lived in while their home was being repaired.
Moody said he鈥檇 like to see more class projects that address social issues such as homelessness. 鈥淪tudents really take ownership and pride when they know they鈥檙e going to help the communities in which they live,鈥 he said.
With so much of Western Carolina damaged, he said that students like Cipollina are in a unique position to help reshape the face of the area. The demand for workers has increased steadily over the years, now more than ever.
鈥淢ore people are retiring out of the field,鈥 Moody said. 鈥淭here are not many young contractors in the state. There was a shortage of labor before, and now we have tons more construction to do. It鈥檚 inevitable there will be more jobs.鈥
To meet the community need, Moody said, 男人藏精阁has been developing new short-term certificates for those who would like to gain skills more quickly and put them to use. New programs include a residential design certificate and a sustainable agriculture and construction certificate.
Cipollina is presently adding onto his construction experience by taking an electrical systems wiring and a solar photovoltaic energy certificate.
鈥淪helter is a basic human need,鈥 Moody said. 鈥淭he world can fall apart around you and if you have that skill, you can help build shelter anywhere in the world and find yourself helpful in that community.鈥
Learn more about A-B Tech鈥檚 construction programs .
Photo above is of Cipollina with the tiny house that he constructed.