Joe Ford Trade Scholarship

1. Electrician, welder-I've been enrolled in the welding program at Portsmouth High School for the last two years. I will be graduating with college credits in welding as well as a number of welding certifcations. During Fall, 2022, I took an Introduction to Trades class at the NH School of Mechanical Trades in Hampton, NH. This program gave me an overview of HVAC, oil heating, plumbing and electric. I really enjoyed the electrical part of this program and have enrolled in the first class for electricians at NHSMT. I begin in April. I haven't decided yet if I will be a welder or an electrician or somehow combining both. 2. I have always been good at working with my hands and seeing how things work. My great-grandfather, grandfather and uncIe were all welders so I think doing something in the trades is in my blood. I have always found regular school work to be boring and uninteresting. I excel in hands-on classes like welding and art. 3. My car would not pass inspection this year because of the rust on the fenders as well as a hole in the subframe. I didn't have the money to pay someone to fix these things. I reached out to people I knew that had the tools, space and equipment that might help me. I fixed the subframe by grinding away all of the rust and then cut out a new piece of metal with a grinder and then tacked the piece where the hole was and then welded it onto the frame. For the fenders, my uncle and I took a bunch of measurements, cut steel, riveted it and epoxy sealed the steel into place. After I made these repairs, my car passed inspection! I'm starting to understand how to read welding blue prints so that I can do my projects at PHS. I enjoy learning about all of these things. I have also been a guitar student for 7 years. I play in a band where we write music using our instruments as well as using music software to produce our music. I also enjoy painting and drawing. I have always been able to take an image I have in my mind and reproduce it on paper very accurately. 4. As I said above, I have two years of welding education already under my belt from PHS. I am graduating from PHS with college credits as well as a number of welding certifications. I also took the Intro to Trades class at NHSMT and am enrolled in the Electrical 101 class beginning in April. I am looking forward to learning more about becoming an electrician. I have learned about different paths in my welding classes. I am visiting the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard this week with my welding teacher to find out more about what my options are there. I plan on taking an apprenticeship and after four or five years hopefully, I will become a journeyman in either welding or electric or both. 5. I have an enthusiastic attitude towards learning about the trades. I pay close attention to detail and really work at getting things perfect which is a necessity in welding. My welding teacher would probably tell you I am good at welding and that I am a hard worker. I always want to learn from my mistakes and improve my skills.

1. Marine mechanic field 2. I grew up boating on the lake near my house. I've worked on jet skis and all different kinds of boats. I can't wait to learn more about the different kinds of engines that are out there. Once I graduate I cou,d work on cruise ships or yachts. This career will also be something I can do anywhere. I could travel to a lot of different places and see more of the world. 3. I am in precision metals class in school and we have worked on all kinds of welding projects. I've worked on MIG and TIG welding. We've done projects on cars and snowmobiles and all kinds of other things. I bought a broken tractor and fixed it to race a year or so ago. I've also taken apart my old jet ski and my snowmobile and work on them a lot. Parts are always needing to be replaced. I also build and fly drones. I bought my car which is a Mazda and ive done a lot of work on it. I improved the sounds system and also did some welds on it. My part time job is at a machine shop where I work a lot on chainsaws. 4. I have already been accepted to UTI Orlando's marine mechanics program. After I was accepted I started getting letters from different companies like Volvo saying they are interested in talking to me after graduation. UTI has a really good relationship with the big companies in the marine field. There are job fairs at UTI where you can meet different employers. I'm excited to get through school so I can start my career. My dad is an electrician and always told me how important the trades are. I think if I work hard at school I will be able to have a great career in the marine field. Im especially interested in the diesel aspect of marine mechanics. I think I am going to learn a lot of new things that I can use to work on my own projects and at work. 5. They would recommend me because I have an obsession with engines and seeing how they work. I'm a hard worker and they know I'll put everything I learn in to practice in my life. I've been in to boats and motors since I was a little kid and anyone who knows me would tell you that. I can't wait to start and get some new experience.

1. I will be going to the HVAC trade by going to MCC in HVAC and working at Joys HVAC I have previously worked there in the summer. I very much enjoyed my experiences so far. 2. I am interested in this trade because it is one of the best trades out there that can set you up for success, and I have seen that with my father who is also in the trade, and my uncle who is also in the trade. I also love to work with my hands with things also my favorite part of the trade is showing up to the job and being decisive on how are we gonna identify the problem with the system and how are we gonna fix it? 3. I take an HVAC class at my high school and helped put up a Mr.Cool mini split, took apart air conditioners, and put them back together, also I put refrigerant into a cooler training board. When I was working at Joys HVAC over the summer of my