Class of 2023: Conner Bowman mines for opportunities underground, in the Marines, and beyond

Name: Conner Bowman

College: College of Engineering

Major: Mining Engineering

Hometown: Fairborn, Ohio

Plans after graduation: Bowman has committed to six years in the Marines Corps reserves, after which he will be a second lieutenant. Starting in 2024 he will be working for Warrior Met Coal in Alabama as a mining engineer. 

Favorite Hokie memory: “It was the homecoming game in 2019. We went into overtime six times, which was some type of record. I remember I was working the concessions, volunteering for ROTC and we had wrapped up, which is usually when everyone heads back to the dorm, but the game was still going on. When we were done cleaning up we got to watch the rest of the game from the top of the stands. The whole stadium was still packed, and it was ecstatic when we won, like lightning.”

Mentorship and tenacity in the ROTC

Bowman came to Virginia Tech because he wanted to get out of Ohio and see the world. When he learned of the Corps of Cadets program, he was drawn to the emphasis on discipline and hard work, and decided to join the Marines. In exchange for a four-year commitment, Bowman received a scholarship, and thanks to the influence of one of his sergeants, decided to pursue mining.

“At the end of my first year I had a mentor talk about mining engineering. It sounded more hands-on then some of the other disciplines, so I gave it a shot,” Bowman said.

The tenacity modeled by Bowman’s leaders in the ROTC had a profound impact on him and his classmates. Being held to a high standard in the Corps prepared him to conceptualize his career as an engineer as one of more power, but more responsibility. 

“Coal is one of the hardest and most dangerous industries,” Bowman said, “but that’s why I chose the Marines, too. While I’m young, I want to go as hard as I can.”

Hands on labor

Bowman completed military training during his first two summers as a student, but by his junior year he was able to pursue an internship in the coal industry. Knowing that hands-on experience is crucial for securing a job, Bowman traveled even further south from his family in Ohio. Down at a mine in Alabama, he got his hands dirty, and became immersed in a very different culture. 

“The guys are really hard workers, and they’re kind, even if they rip on you. They have thick accents and call me a yankee, but that’s what it’s like down there, and it’s usually generational," Bowman explained. "You are working eight-to-twelve hours a day underground, actually getting the coal out of the ground, and it’s really physically intense. As someone who will be an engineer his whole life, it’s an honor to be down in the mines with these guys for the next few years.”

Upon graduation, Bowman will begin his six year commitment to the Marine reserves. He will return to Alabama to work for Warrior Met Coal where he will be an engineer in training for the first three years.

“I’ll actually be underground in the mine doing the physical labor, and rotating around different sections of the mining process. Those three years underground are really important because you can’t make decisions that people’s lives depend on if you don’t see what happens underground,” Bowman said.

Carrying on in the spirit of Virginia Tech

In addition to his engineering studies and participation in the Corps, Bowman had his first experiences underground as part of the mine rescue team. Some of his favorite experiences at Tech occurred during those two years of competing in disaster simulations. 

“We would go into a simulated mine collapse with five or six people and have to do what you’d do with a real mine disaster," Bowman recalled. "We would wear gas masks, and bring kits and gurneys to test for carbon monoxide and evacuate wounded people out. It was one of my favorite experiences as a student because the guys judging you are all old guys who have been miners forever and they’re grateful that, as college kids, we care about it.”

Bowman added that the four years he spent at Tech were not only useful, but unique. “It’s a culture thing here to naturally want to help your community because they’re your friends. I thought that was how it was everywhere but it’s really not common to do what we do as hard as we do it.”

The 2023 graduate in mining engineering and aspiring second-lieutenant added, “I never wait for people to tell me what to do. I find it.”