I chose welding because it combines everything I enjoy most: creativity, problem-solving, and working with my hands. I have always been the kind of person who prefers making something rather than simply reading about it. Long before I knew welding would become my career goal, I enjoyed creating things and exploring different crafts. When I learned that San Dieguito Academy offered metalworking and welding classes, I transferred there during my senior year specifically so I could participate in the program. It ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made. My experience in the metals program showed me that welding is much more than joining pieces of metal together. It is a skill, an art form, and a trade that has a direct impact on the world around us. Every building, bridge, vehicle, playground, and piece of public infrastructure depends on skilled tradespeople. I was drawn to the idea of learning a skill that is both practical and creative, one that allows me to build things that people can use and appreciate for years to come. One of the biggest influences on my decision was my metals teacher, Mr. Moreau. His enthusiasm for metalworking was contagious. Even while our workshop was undergoing major renovations and we had limited equipment available, he constantly found ways to keep students engaged and learning. Instead of focusing on what we lacked, he focused on what we could create. His passion for teaching and metalworking helped me realize that welding was something I genuinely wanted to pursue beyond high school. During my time in the program, I completed Metals 1, Jewelry and Metal Art, and Weld/Metal Fabrication. I also served as a teacher’s assistant, helping other students and supporting classroom activities. These experiences helped me gain confidence in my abilities while also teaching me responsibility, patience, and teamwork. I discovered that I enjoyed not only creating projects myself but also helping others learn and succeed. As a woman entering a field that has traditionally been male-dominated, I am excited by the opportunity to contribute to a growing and changing industry. I want to be part of a generation that helps make the trades more welcoming and accessible to everyone. Representation matters, and I hope that by pursuing welding professionally, I can encourage other young women to consider careers in the skilled trades as well. After high school, I plan to attend Palomar College and pursue welding certifications and an associate degree. My goal is to gain professional experience in welding and fabrication while continuing to develop my artistic skills. I am particularly interested in combining functional metalwork with artistic design. In the future, I hope to create large-scale fabricated pieces for public spaces, such as decorative gates, bridges, park features, and other structures that are both useful and visually interesting. This scholarship would help me obtain the tools, equipment, and training necessary to continue pursuing this path. Welding is a career that requires dedication, education, and specialized equipment, but I believe the investment is worthwhile. Welding has given me a sense of direction, purpose, and excitement for the future. It is not only the vocation I have chosen but also the field where I feel I can make the greatest contribution through both skill and creativity.

My name is Ceyda Eker, and I am a recent high school graduate from San Dieguito Academy. I plan to continue my education in welding and metal fabrication, with the long-term goal of building a stable career in the skilled trades while also developing my skills in design and metal art. My goal is to become a certified welder, gain field experience, and eventually work on larger construction or fabrication projects that combine both function and creativity. My immediate plan is to enroll in the Welding AS program at Palomar College. This program will provide me with structured training in welding techniques, safety procedures, blueprint reading, and fabrication skills. I chose this path because it offers both certification opportunities and hands-on experience, which are essential for entering the workforce. While completing the program, I plan to take advantage of internships, lab time, and any apprenticeship opportunities available through the school or local industry connections. My experience in high school metalworking played a major role in shaping this plan. I took Metals 1, Jewelry and Metal Art, and Weld/Metal Fabrication. I also worked as a teacher’s assistant for Metals 1, which helped me strengthen my understanding of the basics while also supporting other students. Even though my school’s workshop was under renovation and we had limited access to equipment, I stayed committed to learning. We worked primarily with oxyacetylene processes until the welding shop reopened, and that experience taught me patience, adaptability, and how to make the most of limited resources. After completing my associate degree and certification, my next goal is to enter the workforce as a welder or fabricator. I want to gain real-world experience in construction, fabrication shops, or metal art projects. While working, I also plan to continue learning specialized skills, such as advanced welding techniques or design-related training, and possibly pursue further education in landscape architecture. My long-term dream is to design and help build public spaces like parks, incorporating both structural and artistic metalwork. To achieve these goals, I will need several key resources. First is tuition support for community college, which includes enrollment fees, lab fees, and transportation costs. Second is equipment and safety gear, including a welding helmet, gloves, boots, jackets, and personal tools required for coursework and later employment. Third is access to apprenticeship or internship opportunities that will allow me to gain paid, hands-on experience in the field while continuing my education. My estimated yearly budget includes approximately $1,400 to $2,000 for tuition and fees at a community college, depending on course load and financial aid. Equipment and safety gear can cost around $500 to $1,000 initially, with additional ongoing costs for replacements or upgrades. Transportation costs will vary but are an important factor, as I will need reliable access to campus and job sites. I plan to offset these costs through financial aid, scholarships, part-time work, and eventually paid apprenticeship programs. Timing is also an important part of my plan. I intend to begin the Palomar College program immediately after graduation and complete the associate degree and certification within two years. During this time, I will begin building connections in the industry through instructors, local shops, and internship opportunities. After completing the program, I plan to enter full-time work while continuing to develop my skills and explore long-term educational opportunities. Overall, my plan is focused, realistic, and step-by-step. It includes education, hands-on training, financial planning, and long-term career development. I am committed to following this path and building a future where I can combine technical skill with creativity in meaningful work.

Mental health has shaped the way I view relationships, success, and even my future. Growing up, I assumed that everyone was carrying around the same invisible weight that I was. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how much my experiences had influenced the way I interacted with the world and the people around me. For a long time, I saw mental health as something people only talked about when things got really bad. I knew people who struggled, and I struggled too, but most of the time it felt easier to joke about problems than to actually talk about them. Looking back, I think a lot of people my age do the same thing. We learn how to laugh things off, change the subject, or pretend we’re fine because being vulnerable can feel uncomfortable. Over the years, I have dealt with difficult family situations, conflict in relationships, and periods where I felt overwhelmed by stress and uncertainty. There were times when I felt caught between different expectations and different versions of who other people wanted me to be. Like many teenagers, I made mistakes while trying to figure things out. Some of those experiences were painful, but they also forced me to learn more about myself. One thing mental health struggles taught me is that people are often fighting battles you cannot see. Because of that, I try not to judge others too quickly. Someone who seems angry, distant, or difficult may be dealing with challenges that nobody else knows about. That realization has made me more patient and more understanding in my relationships. It has also made me appreciate the people who choose kindness, because small acts of support can have a much bigger impact than most people realize. My experiences have also changed what I value in friendships. I used to think good friends were simply people who shared the same interests as me. Now I believe the most important quality is honesty. The people who have had the greatest impact on my life are the ones who were willing to listen without judgment and support me when I was struggling. Those relationships showed me that real connection comes from accepting people as they are rather than expecting them to be perfect. Mental health has also influenced my goals. I plan to pursue a career in welding and the skilled trades, a field that requires persistence, discipline, and problem-solving. While the technical skills are important, I know that taking care of my mental well-being is equally important to long-term success. I have learned that ignoring stress does not make it disappear. Being willing to ask for help, communicate honestly, and take care of myself is just as valuable as any skill I will learn in a classroom or workshop. Most importantly, my experiences have shaped my understanding of the world. I have learned that strength is not pretending everything is okay. Strength is being honest about challenges and continuing to move forward anyway. Mental health struggles can make people feel isolated, but they have also shown me how important empathy, support, and community can be. Those lessons will stay with me throughout my education, my career, and my life, and they have inspired me to become someone who helps others feel seen, understood, and supported.

I recently graduated high school and plan to pursue a career in welding and the skilled trades. My goal is to continue my training, earn certifications, and build a stable career doing work that is hands-on, practical, and meaningful. I have always enjoyed creating things and working with my hands, and welding is a field where I can see the direct results of my effort. I am excited by the opportunity to learn a valuable skill, continue growing professionally, and eventually establish myself in an industry that plays an important role in everyday life. I am also a member of the LGBTQ+ community and identify as nonbinary. While I have been fortunate to have supportive people in my life, I have also experienced the reality that not everyone is accepting. Because I present in a way that some people immediately read as LGBTQ+, I have been yelled at from cars and called slurs by strangers in public. Experiences like that are upsetting, but they have also reinforced how important it is for LGBTQ+ people to have communities where they feel safe, supported, and respected. Those experiences have helped shape my values. They have taught me the importance of treating people with dignity and standing up for others when they are excluded or mistreated. They have also shown me how much a supportive environment can matter. Having people who encourage you to pursue your goals, regardless of your identity, can make a huge difference in a person’s confidence and success. I do see myself giving back to my community in the future. Welding and the skilled trades are still fields where women, LGBTQ+ people, and other underrepresented groups can sometimes feel out of place. As I continue my education and career, I hope to help make those spaces more welcoming. Whether that means mentoring younger students, encouraging others to pursue careers in the trades, or simply being a positive example of someone succeeding in the field, I want to contribute to making opportunities more accessible for everyone. Financially, this scholarship would make a significant difference for me. My family has limited financial resources, and the cost of continuing my education is a major concern. Beyond tuition and training expenses, welding requires specialized equipment, safety gear, tools, and certification fees. These costs add up quickly and can create barriers for students who are already working hard to pursue their goals. Receiving this scholarship would help reduce that burden and allow me to focus on building my future. It would support my education, help me obtain the equipment and certifications I need, and bring me one step closer to a career that I am passionate about. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply and appreciate your consideration.

Going to college means opportunity, independence, and the ability to build the future I’ve always imagined for myself. To me, higher education is not just about earning a degree or getting a job. It’s about being able to pursue the things I’m passionate about, continue growing as a person, and create a stable and meaningful life through creativity and hard work. As someone from a Turkish immigrant family and a minority background, I’ve grown up understanding how important education can be for creating opportunities that previous generations may not have had access to. I also understand that pursuing higher education is not always easy financially, emotionally, or socially. There can be pressure to choose the safest or most practical route in life instead of the path that genuinely excites you. For me, college means allowing myself to pursue a future that combines both practicality and passion. I plan to study welding and continue my education in fabrication, metal art, and eventually landscape architecture. Ever since taking metals and welding classes during my senior year at San Dieguito Academy, I discovered how much I love working with my hands and creating things. Welding showed me that art and skilled trades can coexist. Something can be functional while also being beautiful and expressive. That idea really inspired me and changed the way I view my future. What I’m ultimately hoping to accomplish is combining welding, fabrication, and landscape architecture to help create community spaces like parks, skateparks, and public gathering areas. I grew up loving places like community parks because they give people somewhere to connect, express themselves, and feel free. I want to contribute to creating those kinds of spaces for other people. My dream is to someday help design public parks while also fabricating artistic metal structures within them, such as gates, bridges, railings, sculptures, or decorative pieces that make the environment feel creative and welcoming instead of plain and forgettable. College also means proving to myself that I can succeed in spaces where people may not expect me to belong. Welding and skilled trades are still heavily male-dominated fields, and as a queer Middle Eastern person pursuing welding, I know I may stand out. But honestly, standing out is something I’ve learned to embrace. I’ve always been someone who expresses myself openly, whether through fashion, creativity, or the goals I pursue. Going to college represents continuing to stay true to myself while building a future I can be proud of. More than anything, I want my education to help me create a life where I can support myself doing meaningful work that positively impacts others. I want to create things that last, spaces that bring people together, and work that reflects both creativity and skill. To me, college is the next step toward making those goals possible.

Higher education will help me turn my passions and goals into something real and long-lasting. I plan to pursue welding through Palomar College’s Welding AS program while also continuing my education in areas like metal art and eventually landscape architecture. My dream is not just to have a career, but to create things that positively impact people and the communities around them. I have always loved working with my hands and creating things. Before transferring to San Dieguito Academy for my senior year, I already enjoyed making jewelry and other forms of art, but my metals and welding classes opened me up to an entirely new passion. Through classes like Metals 1, Jewelry/Metal Art, and Weld/Metal Fabrication, I discovered how much I enjoy fabrication, problem solving, and designing functional things that also have artistic value. Welding feels meaningful to me because it combines creativity with skill and hard work. Attending higher education will give me the opportunity to continue building those skills and gain the certifications, training, and experience needed to succeed in the trades. Welding equipment, materials, safety gear, and schooling are all expensive, especially for someone coming from a low-income background. Even simple tools can add up quickly, and larger equipment costs thousands of dollars. Financial support would help make it possible for me to continue pursuing this path without being overwhelmed by the cost of education and equipment. Beyond welding itself, I eventually hope to combine welding and fabrication with landscape architecture. One of my biggest dreams is to help design and create public parks, skateparks, playgrounds, and community spaces that people can enjoy for years. I grew up spending time at local parks like Encinitas Community Park and Alga Norte Community Park, and I’ve always loved how spaces like that bring people together. I want to contribute to creating spaces that feel inspiring, creative, and welcoming for everyone. I also hope to incorporate my own fabrication and metal art into these spaces. Instead of structures being purely functional, I want them to feel artistic and memorable too. Whether it’s designing decorative gates, bridges, railings, lighting fixtures, or sculptures, I want the things I create to make people feel connected to the environment around them. I think public spaces can have a huge impact on people’s happiness, creativity, and sense of community, especially for young people looking for places where they feel safe and inspired. Outside of school, I have also gained experience through work and volunteering, including volunteering at the CRC Resale Store. That experience helped me understand the importance of community support and giving back to others. It showed me how much small acts of effort and service can help people in difficult situations. It also taught me responsibility, communication skills, and how important it is to contribute to something bigger than yourself. Higher education would help me continue growing not only as a welder and future designer, but also as someone who wants to make a positive difference through creativity, skilled work, and community-centered spaces. I want to build things that last, help people, and make communities feel more connected, and education is what will help me get there.

I am pursuing welding because I love working with my hands and creating things that are both functional and artistic. Before transferring to San Dieguito Academy for my senior year, I was already interested in making jewelry and other hands-on crafts, but my metals classes opened me up to a whole new world. I took Metals 1, Jewelry/Metal Art, and later Weld/Metal Fabrication, while also working as a teacher’s assistant in the metals shop for another class period. Through these classes I discovered how much I genuinely enjoy fabrication, problem solving, and learning technical skills. I especially love that welding allows you to turn raw material into something meaningful, whether it is a sculpture, a gate, a repair, or a structure someone uses every day. Another reason I am passionate about welding is because creativity exists within it. A lot of people see welding as only industrial work, but I also see it as art. I want to create things that are strong, useful, and visually interesting at the same time. My teacher, Mr. Moreau, became a huge inspiration to me because he made the shop feel exciting and creative, and he constantly encouraged me to learn more and challenge myself. Seeing another left-handed welder also made me feel more confident pursuing this field myself. After my trade education, I plan to complete the Welding AS program at Palomar College and begin working in the field while continuing my education over time. I would love to explore more specialized metal art and fabrication, while also eventually studying landscape architecture. One of my biggest dreams is to design and help create public parks with playgrounds, skateparks, and community spaces. I would love to combine welding, fabrication, and design together by creating artistic gates, bridges, lighting fixtures, and structures for those spaces. I want the things I create to not only serve a purpose, but to also make people stop and admire them. One adversity I had to overcome was the situation with my school’s metals workshop this year. During most of the school year, the workshop was under major renovation, which meant we did not have access to most of our equipment or welding stations. We worked out of a temporary classroom for months, mostly learning with oxyacetylene instead of traditional welding equipment. Since the shop reopened so late in the year, I was unable to complete the certifications I originally hoped to earn before graduating. At first, I felt disappointed because I had transferred schools partly for this program and had really looked forward to gaining those certifications. However, instead of giving up or losing motivation, I kept showing up every day eager to learn whatever I could. I continued helping in class as a teacher’s assistant, practicing my skills, and taking advantage of every opportunity available to me. That experience taught me that setbacks do not erase passion or potential. Even though things did not go according to plan, it made me even more determined to continue welding after high school and keep building toward my future goals.

I can relate to Charles in the way he was left-handed, because I am too. I also related to how he shot basketballs with his right hand, except for me, it’s with my guitar. I’m left-handed, but I play a right-handed guitar, which I guess is the guitar equivalent of shooting with your opposite hand. I also use a computer mouse with my right hand. It’s funny because growing up left-handed kind of forces you to adapt to a world built for right-handed people, so after a while, you just get used to doing certain things backwards. So to answer your question about my “awkward” thing, or what makes me stand out, being left-handed is honestly just one of many things. I feel like I’m a very unique person, and I love expressing myself in whatever ways I can. I love creating outfits, experimenting with fashion, and making things feel like me. I have dyed hair and piercings, and overall my appearance definitely makes me stand out. But I don’t dress this way just for attention or to be “different.” I do it because fashion is something I genuinely enjoy, and because I like being unapologetically myself. On top of all that, I aspire to become a welder. A left-handed female welder, wow, how wild. Welding is a field where you don’t really see many girls in general, so I already stand out there, and being left-handed adds another layer to it. My current high school metals teacher, Mr. Moreau, is also left-handed, and he’s honestly one of my biggest inspirations partly because of that. During hands-on lessons, I’m so used to teachers demonstrating things the way a right-handed person would do them, and then I’d have to awkwardly try to mirror everything. Sometimes it would take me a while to fully understand it. But with Mr. Moreau, he naturally demonstrates things the same way I would do them, so for once I didn’t feel like I had to mentally flip everything around in my head first. It seems like such a small thing, but it actually made a huge difference for me and helped me feel more confident in my abilities. Now that we’re talking about other left-handed people in my life, I also have a twin sister who’s left-handed, and somehow my older brother is too. Meanwhile, both of our parents are right-handed. I honestly have no idea how that happened, but I think it’s pretty funny and interesting. At the end of the day, I think the things that make people “awkward” or different are usually the same things that make them memorable. For me, being left-handed is more than just which hand I write with. It reflects how I’ve learned to adapt, approach things differently, and embrace being myself, even when I stand out.

I love to roller skate. It makes me feel alive and so passionate, skating also connects me to my community. When I said I love to roller skate, I’m talking about the aggressive style quad skating. Outdoors, at the skatepark, doing tricks and working on new things. When I tell you I only started roller skating consistently in February and I can already jump off sets of stairs, I’m real impressed with myself and even though everyone might not understand how much of an accomplishment this is, I do, because I’ve progressed so much in so little time. I first started out skateboarding, funny enough I originally wanted to do roller skating from the get go, but since I couldn’t find any teachers I skateboarded instead. I enjoy it so much, but I progressed so slow, and I still can barely do any tricks on a board. I still went skateboarding all the time however, but then January of this year I got my first actual pair of skates. They needed some maintenance so I wasn’t able to actually use them until January 30th, but once I started roller skating came so naturally to me. It felt more comfortable to me than a skateboard, it just clicked. I used to be afraid to try new tricks and fall, but now I’m going at it just committing to whatever trick I want to work on, and falling all the time while I’m at it. I used to be scared of falling but now I’ve gotten comfortable with it. I never even imagined I could even attempt to launch my self off six stairs, but now I just send it without thinking. When I fall, honestly most of the time it’s fun and I get a giggle out of it. I feel like roller skating helped me get over a lot of my fears, and now that I’m thinking about it I was also scared of heights, but now I can stand on top of tall ramps and drop in on them. The more I fall, the more I learn how it’s okay to fall no matter what the trick is. The trick is just to always lean forward, because then you can fall forward and control your fall. Feeling in control while skating, and just roller skating in general, just feels so empowering for me. I’m in control of how I fall, and if it’s a bad fall I’m in control of how I move forward. You go, sit down for a minute and collect yourself, and then get yourself back out there to push yourself to accomplish whatever you were working on. I have so many things to look forward to accomplishing in the future now, whether it’s about my education, hobbies, or career, I really look forward to working on improving in all my fields and I can’t wait for what I’ll be able to accomplish in the future.

My name is Ceyda Eker, I’m a senior attending San Dieguito Academy who’s set to graduate at the end of this month, on the 29th of May. Im an aspiring female welder. I’ve always liked working with my hands, I’m an active and creative person. I already dabbled in making whatever jewelry I could before I decided to transfer to a school in my district which offered metalworking classes especially because I had heard that the high school had a program where you could get certified there with them as long as you take the minimum required classes. I took more than just the minimum and I loved the class, it opened me up to the other kinds of crafts you could do with metals. For the first semester I took the Metals 1 and the Jewelry/Metal Art class back to back, and for the second semester I was a teachers assistant for the Metals 1 class and I also took the Weld/Metal Fabrication class. There was one slight bump however, the metals workshop was undergoing this huge renovation meaning that we didn’t have access to most of our equipment and that we had to stay in a temporary classroom. This also meant that we didn’t have access to any welding stuff too, we primarily did stuff with acetylene and oxyacetylene, and we did a bit of oxyacetylene welding. The workshop finally opened up on April 21st, where we finally got to do some welding, but of course because of all of this I’m not going to be able to get certified at San Dieguito Academy. But that’s okay, because my experience here was the best. I have the most wonderful teacher ever, Mr. Moreau, his full name being Grant Moreau. I looked forward to every new lesson from him, and always looked forward to being taught something new from him. I would always love to be there to help him out in the class also, and to help out the other students especially in the class that I’m a teachers assistant in. Mr. Moreau helped spark a light in me, a passion for welding and creating. I want to go on to create big things. I plan to first complete the Welding AS course at Palomar college, and then after I plan to get to work. While working my goal is to further my education, maybe study more specialized areas of metal art, and also to get a degree in landscape architecture. I dream to one day build a big park, with fields and playgrounds and a skatepark. My education in welding would help me understand a bit about the construction behind the play structures, and probably lots of other stuff when it comes to designing a public park. My inspiration is mainly from my local parks, being the Encinitas Community Park and the Alga Norte Community Park. My dream is to also incorporate my welding and metal art into these parks, so for any gates that there may be or bridges, lamps, whatever it may be, I would love to fabricate it myself and add an artistic twist to it. So that these structures wouldn’t just be a gate, it would be a beautiful functional art piece. My friend Jayden is also my inspiration when it comes to welding, you can find her on instagram @torchgrrrl. Jayden fabricated this huge beautiful gate for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, it has all these pretty details with fabricated metal leaves, bamboos, and plants. You can find a picture pinned on her instagram. I really aspire to create such things.