One word I use to describe myself is determined. When I know I want to accomplish something, there is nothing that will stop me from achieving my goal because I don't give up and always find a way. I aspire to be an electrician and finances is one thing that is trying to slow me down. I come from a family of six; we are hard workers. I admire my father for having to come to this country with nothing but his two working hands– to say the least. He was forced to get two jobs at the age of fifteen to take care of his family, and for that I look up to my father so much. My mother has contributed a lot to the man I am today. She was working as a semi truck driver at the age of sixteen, all while she was pregnant with me. I followed in my parents footsteps and obtained a job as early as I could while going to high school. I started at Subway then moved to sales at Target and a furniture store/warehouse. I am currently employed by Costco wholesale, but I’ve always known these jobs are temporary. If I am being completely honest, those previous jobs have given me no joy, and going into work all these years has made me depressed. I knew in my core I needed to work on finding a career where, not only would it be better pay, it would truly fulfill me and allow me to be proud of my work. I want to be part of a work environment that has room for growth and advancement. My current job doesn’t offer advancement opportunities, and in the long run, I know this wouldn’t work out for me and my career goals. I love to learn, I love to work with my hands. I want to be in a career that doesn’t look exactly the same everyday. I love challenges and I can adapt quickly. I’m striving for a career where I can be hands on, and use my skills and knowledge. My desire to work in an environment that is hands on came to me when I was working at a furniture store building furniture. It was then when I knew the trades path could be for me. My second oldest brother is a carpenter and after having many conversations with him, he highly recommended I'd join the electrician trade. I took my brother's advice and took initiative as fast as I could. The big question was how and where I start moving towards my electrician career goals. Yet knowing what I wanted to do i didnt know how to start. I discovered the Institute for Business and Technology (IBT), which offers all the certifications I would need and assists with finding a job after graduation. I planned a tour the day I found IBT and enrolled in the program right after. I am 10 months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose.

I am almost Three months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. I chose this trade because we had to remodel my house to fit the basic needs for my sister who is in a wheelchair. In doing so we had to completely destroy the walls and build new ones so we had a lot of electricians come through to rewire the house and I completely fell in love with the world behind the walls. It showed me that there's a lot that happens behind the walls that not everyone does, such as how electricity gets from one place to the other. There is so much that goes into it that makes it so challenging and I love that. I personally don't get the satisfaction when things come easy. I love earning whatever I work towards. My six year plan is to start a house flipping business that will include my family. Each member in my family has a unique experience under their belts. My mother with her real estate license, my brother with his carpenter experience, my father as a handyman, and me with the soon to be Electrician, will be able to team up and create handicapped modified homes. This business idea started after my oldest sister was unfortunately in a terrible accident. She was hit by a semi truck driver who was falling asleep at the wheel and the crash caused my sister to be paralyzed from the lower back all the way down for the rest of her life. Trying to find a home for my sister was a lot harder than we realized when she couldn't fit through any rooms at every house we toured. It was a very sad and painful time for all of us; I was fifteen years old. My parents came up with a plan to remodel the house we bought and took the initiative to make it fully accessible for my sister. I helped as best as I could with the remodeling. That experience inspired something in me and now I plan on making this business idea a reality after graduation. I know there could be alot more people in the exact situation my family and I went through. I imagine it would feel amazing to help others that probably have a handicapped loved one but have no idea or experience on how to create a better living in their homes for their handicapped family member. My team would not only include my family but I will also be able to provide jobs for other trade workers who share the same passion for a hands-on approach to knowledge development.

I come from a family of six; we are hard workers. I admire my father for having to come to this country with nothing but his two working hands– to say the least. I am currently employed by Costco wholesale, but I’ve always known these jobs are temporary. If I am being completely honest, those previous jobs have given me no joy, and going into work all these years has made me depressed. I knew in my core I needed to work on finding a career where, not only would it be better pay, it would truly fulfill me and allow me to be proud of my work. I want to be part of a work environment that has room for growth and advancement. I love challenges and I can adapt quickly. I’m striving for a career where I can be hands on, and use my skills and knowledge. My desire to work in an environment that is hands on came to me when I was working at a furniture store building furniture. It was then when I knew the trades path could be for me. My second oldest brother is a carpenter and after having many conversations with him, he highly recommended I'd join the electrician trade. I took my brother's advice and took initiative as fast as I could. The big question was how and where I start moving towards my electrician career goals. Yet knowing what I wanted to do i didnt know how to start. I discovered the Institute for Business and Technology (IBT), which offers all the certifications I would need and assists with finding a job after graduation. I planned a tour the day I found IBT and enrolled in the program right after. My future plan when I become a great electrician is to start a house flipping business that will include my family. Each member in my family has a unique experience under their belts. My mother with her real estate license, my brother with his carpenter experience, my father as a handyman, and me with the soon to be Electrician, will be able to team up and create handicapped modified homes. Trying to find a home for my sister who is in a wheelchair was a lot harder than we realized when she couldn't fit through any rooms at every house we toured. It was a very sad and painful time for all of us; I was fifteen years old. My parents came up with a plan to remodel the house we bought and took the initiative to make it fully accessible for my sister. I know there could be a lot more people in the exact situation my family and I went through. I imagine it would feel amazing to help others that probably have a handicapped loved one but have no idea or experience on how to create a better living in their homes for their handicapped family member. These remodeled homes will not just be for helping it become more accessible for Wheelchairs I wont to think about making it a safe space for all disabilities like for my nephew and niece that have down syndrome i would want there home to have a lot of free space and no sharp edged that could possibly hurt them. My team would not only include my family but I will also be able to provide jobs for other trade workers who share the same passion for a hands-on approach to knowledge development.

I am almost one month into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. My six year plan is to start a house flipping business that will include my family. Each member in my family has a unique experience under their belts. My mother with her real estate license, my brother with his carpenter experience, my father as a handyman, and me with the soon to be Electrician, will be able to team up and create handicapped modified homes. This business idea started after my oldest sister was unfortunately in a terrible accident. She was hit by a semi truck driver who was falling asleep at the wheel and the crash caused my sister to be paralyzed from the lower back all the way down for the rest of her life. Trying to find a home for my sister was a lot harder than we realized when she couldn't fit through any rooms at every house we toured. It was a very sad and painful time for all of us; I was fifteen years old. My parents came up with a plan to remodel the house we bought and took the initiative to make it fully accessible for my sister. I helped as best as I could with the remodeling. That experience inspired something in me and now I plan on making this business idea a reality after graduation. I know there could be alot more people in the exact situation my family and I went through. I imagine it would feel amazing to help others that probably have a handicapped loved one but have no idea or experience on how to create a better living in their homes for their handicapped family member. My team would not only include my family but I will also be able to provide jobs for other trade workers who share the same passion for a hands-on approach to knowledge development.

I am almost Three months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. I chose this trade because we had to remodel my house to fit the basic needs for my sister who is in a wheelchair. In doing so we had to completely destroy the walls and build new ones so we had a lot of electricians come through to rewire the house and I completely fell in love with the world behind the walls. It showed me that there's a lot that happens behind the walls that not everyone does, such as how electricity gets from one place to the other. There is so much that goes into it that makes it so challenging and I love that. I personally don't get the satisfaction when things come easy. I love earning whatever I work towards. I started at Subway then moved to sales at Target and a furniture store/warehouse at a young age. I am currently employed by Costco wholesale, but I’ve always known these jobs are temporary. If I am being completely honest, those previous jobs have given me no joy, and going into work all these years has made me depressed. I knew in my core I needed to work on finding a career where, not only would it be better pay, it would truly fulfill me and allow me to be proud of my work. I want to be part of a work environment that has room for growth and advancement. My current job doesn’t offer advancement opportunities, and in the long run, I know this wouldn’t work out for me and my career goals. I love to learn, I love to work with my hands. I want to be in a career that doesn’t look exactly the same everyday. I love challenges and I can adapt quickly. I’m striving for a career where I can be hands on, and use my skills and knowledge. My desire to work in an environment that is hands on came to me when I was working at a furniture store building furniture. It was then when I knew the trades path could be for me. My second oldest brother is a carpenter and after having many conversations with him, he highly recommended I'd join the electrician trade. I took my brother's advice and took initiative as fast as I could. The big question was how and where I start moving towards my electrician career goals. Yet knowing what I wanted to do i didnt know how to start. I discovered the Institute for Business and Technology (IBT), which offers all the certifications I would need and assists with finding a job after graduation. I planned a tour the day I found IBT and enrolled in the program right after.

I am almost Three months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. I chose this trade because we had to remodel my house to fit the basic needs for my sister who is in a wheelchair. In doing so we had to completely destroy the walls and build new ones so we had a lot of electricians come through to rewire the house and I completely fell in love with the world behind the walls. It showed me that there's a lot that happens behind the walls that not everyone does, such as how electricity gets from one place to the other. There is so much that goes into it that makes it so challenging and I love that. I personally don't get the satisfaction when things come easy. I love earning whatever I work towards. I've always felt I was a person who thinks out of the box and uses my personality and the skills that I've learned over the years to solve any type of obstacle that comes into my path. Recently I've been doing that a whole lot. Being in trade school as of now has shown me that I really have to work for this and focus if I'm ever going to be a great electrician and it's been amazing so far. Everyday I am in class I use my hands on skills and memorization skills to wire diagrams that my teacher shows us and it gets harder and more challenging everyday which is what i love. Being awarded this scholarship will take away my financial stress because I'm currently working and attending school full time to pursue my goal as an electrician. I already had to cut my hours to make school my number one priority, but it's been hard due to my other financial responsibilities. To put it in perspective, I only have around $100 after every paycheck. To be even more specific, I commute one hour everyday to work and my classes. Its been a struggle trying to balance work and school but this career is worth the sacrifices.

One word I use to describe myself is determined. When I know I want to accomplish something, there is nothing that will stop me from achieving my goal because I don't give up and always find a way. I aspire to be an electrician and finances is one thing that is trying to slow me down. I chose this trade because we had to remodel my house to fit the basic needs for my sister who is in a wheelchair. In doing so we had to completely destroy the walls and build new ones so we had a lot of electricians come through to rewire the house and I completely fell in love with the world behind the walls. It showed me that there's a lot that happens behind the walls that not everyone does, such as how electricity gets from one place to the other. There is so much that goes into it that makes it so challenging and I love that. I personally don't get the satisfaction when things come easy. I love earning whatever I work towards. I am almost 4 months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. I will become successful in this trade because I've never felt any job I've had so much passion in. This Career that I am now pursuing has finally given me purpose in my life. I've never really known what I wanted to do in life but I now know and believe this is what I was put on this floating rock in the middle of the universe to do. I just can't wait for what the future holds. All I want to do is keep moving forward and learn more and more about this career. This is a field where I would not mind working my way up to succeed. First and foremost, I strongly believe all you will need in a successful life is a beautiful happy family. If there's one thing in this life that would make me happy is coming home to my wife and kids. I look forward to coming home and hearing "daddy's home''. I truly believe all you need in life is a family who supports you and that is enough to be able to achieve anything. Secondly, a successful like is having a career where you do not have to shrug, sigh, and then say "ughI have work tomorrow". A successful like involves a job that puts a smile on your face when you think about work. I am striving for a career that I love and brings me joy when being there. All of this is to say that when you have a family that you love and they support you, while also having a career that you love waking up to, will only fuel my drive to be the best I can be at my job and with my family.

I am almost Three months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. I chose this trade because we had to remodel my house to fit the basic needs for my sister who is in a wheelchair. In doing so we had to completely destroy the walls and build new ones so we had a lot of electricians come through to rewire the house and I completely fell in love with the world behind the walls. It showed me that there's a lot that happens behind the walls that not everyone does, such as how electricity gets from one place to the other. There is so much that goes into it that makes it so challenging and I love that. I personally don't get the satisfaction when things come easy. I love earning whatever I work towards. I've always felt I was a person who thinks out of the box and uses my personality and the skills that I've learned over the years to solve any type of obstacle that comes into my path. Recently I've been doing that a whole lot. Being in trade school as of now has shown me that I really have to work for this and focus if I'm ever going to be a great electrician and it's been amazing so far. Everyday I am in class I use my hands on skills and memorization skills to wire diagrams that my teacher shows us and it gets harder everyday. My six year plan is to start a house flipping business that will include my family. Each member in my family has a unique experience under their belts. My mother with her real estate license, my brother with his carpenter experience, my father as a handyman, and me with the soon to be Electrician, will be able to team up and create handicapped modified homes. This business idea started after my oldest sister was unfortunately in a terrible accident. She was hit by a semi truck driver who was falling asleep at the wheel and the crash caused my sister to be paralyzed from the lower back all the way down for the rest of her life. Trying to find a home for my sister was a lot harder than we realized when she couldn't fit through any rooms at every house we toured. It was a very sad and painful time for all of us; I was fifteen years old. My parents came up with a plan to remodel the house we bought and took the initiative to make it fully accessible for my sister. I helped as best as I could with the remodeling. That experience inspired something in me and now I plan on making this business idea a reality after graduation. I know there could be alot more people in the exact situation my family and I went through. I imagine it would feel amazing to help others that probably have a handicapped loved one but have no idea or experience on how to create a better living in their homes for their handicapped family member. My team would not only include my family but I will also be able to provide jobs for other trade workers who share the same passion for a hands-on approach to knowledge development. They would recommend this scholarship to me because they know how much this career means to me. They would know how much stress negativity that this career that I am pursuing has already lifted off my shoulders. They would say how much enjoyment I get from working in this field and how much pride i find in complete each task my teacher shows me

I am almost three months into the Electrician trade program at IBT. I am so thrilled, to say the least, that I have found a path I truly enjoy. I’m still learning the basics, but nonetheless it's been so rewarding already to wire a single pole switch and witnessing the light turn on. I take pride in my work, so I make sure my work product is down to a T. I know it’s only the beginning but I am already proud of the work I am learning and creating hands on at this trade program. This hands-on program has given me a sense of purpose. My six year plan is to start a house flipping business that will include my family. Each member in my family has a unique experience under their belts. My mother with her real estate license, my brother with his carpenter experience, my father as a handyman, and me with the soon to be Electrician, will be able to team up and create handicapped modified homes. This business idea started after my oldest sister was unfortunately in a terrible accident. She was hit by a semi truck driver who was falling asleep at the wheel and the crash caused my sister to be paralyzed from the lower back all the way down for the rest of her life. Trying to find a home for my sister was a lot harder than we realized when she couldn't fit through any rooms at every house we toured. It was a very sad and painful time for all of us; I was fifteen years old. My parents came up with a plan to remodel the house we bought and took the initiative to make it fully accessible for my sister. I helped as best as I could with the remodeling. That experience inspired something in me and now I plan on making this business idea a reality after graduation. I know there could be alot more people in the exact situation my family and I went through. I imagine it would feel amazing to help others that probably have a handicapped loved one but have no idea or experience on how to create a better living in their homes for their handicapped family member. My team would not only include my family but I will also be able to provide jobs for other trade workers who share the same passion for a hands-on approach to knowledge development. A time i came over adversity is when my sister was in a terrible accident and she was paralyzed from the waist down for life. this was a very hard time for me and my family as it was such a huge lost that none of us has ever been before. the way we all over came it is being there for each other as much as we could and as time passed by the closer it brought us together.

I come from a family of six, me being the youngest. My mother was driving semi trucks while pregnant with me, and my dad was working two jobs since the age of fifteen. I have known hard work since I came into this world. I too had to start working at a young age during high school to help my family with expenses after my oldest sister was in a tragic accident leaving her disabled from the waist down. Having to work while going to school, participate in sports, and be there for my family was a hard life to balance but it shaped me into the man I am today. My past work experiences have not been what I envisioned for my 5-year plan, in terms of my career. I went for my associate degree right after high school, but I was unfortunately halfway through when the pandemic hit in 2020. This was a big curveball in my goal planning because online classes were not ideal for the way I retained information. I am a very hands-on person, and sitting in front of a screen, in the comfort of my own home, sounds like no problem but I struggled immensely. It took me 3 years to finally find a passion within the electrician field. My future goal is to start my own business where I can rebuild homes that are handicap accessible. This would require the help of construction and carpenters, but I will already be able to contribute my skills and experience as an Electrician. I am currently enrolled in the Institute of Business and Technology (IBT) while working part-time as a warehouse stocker. I am proud of myself for taking the first step toward achieving my career goals. This trade program is everything I expected and more. I am sad I did not start earlier but it is never too late to achieve your goals. Choosing the path of the trade has been one of the best things I could have done for myself. I truly enjoy the work I get to do while in class because we are working with our hands as we are learning- it's the best of both worlds in my opinion. Despite the financial struggles I am facing with having to pay for my trade program, I know it will all be worth it when I can provide homes for the handicapped community.