I’ve always known that I am good with my hands. From a very young age I liked to see how things work. I could take things apart and put them back together, and assemble toys without any help or a manual. I enjoyed making things out of nothing. It was fun for me but I realized it was actually a blessing when I was diagnosed in third grade with dyslexia and dysgraphia, which make reading and writing extremely difficult. Because of these challenges, schoolwork was very hard for me. I think I would have felt very badly about myself if I didn’t learn that I had other talents. My mother always told me that I would be successful despite my challenges if I just worked hard so I have really pushed myself to do that. When I reached high school my mom encouraged me to take my first metalworking class and I was hooked. I took all the classes my school offered so then my teacher recommended I move on to the vocational high school to take their welding program. I have really enjoyed my two years there. The best thing about it has been learning that I could be really good at something. I have won a performance award in each semester I have been there, which is something I never could have imagined. Me, winning a school award! I am so grateful to my metal shop teacher and my mom for inspiring me to pursue a career in welding. I have given a lot of thought to my future and what my five-year plan might look like. I know that the first year will be spent at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, Ohio. It's far away from my home in New Jersey but I will learn so much there. Once I receive my education I know I will enter the workforce but I’m not exactly sure just yet which exact path I’ll choose. I know I could join a union like the pipefitters and work my way up from apprentice to journeyman. But I think the best way I could give back would be to become a welding instructor and inspire another kid to follow this path, just like my teachers have done for me. Or maybe eventually a welding inspector, helping to keep the community safe. The one thing I know for sure is that if I work really hard I will be prepared for whatever welding career I end up choosing. Aside from my career, my goals in life are to be happy and successful and I believe my welding career will help me start to achieve those goals. I think all the time about how my father also had trouble learning in school when he was young. He was also good with his hands and he became a tradesman after high school, a carpenter, and he was successful. So I see a lot of him in myself. He passed away when I was 6 years old but I know that he would be very proud that I’m going to become a welder.

I am so excited to be pursuing a career in welding after high school. School has always been very difficult for me. In third grade I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia, which make reading and writing extremely challenging. But I was always good with my hands. From a young age I liked to see how things work. I could take things apart and put them back together. I could assemble toys without help or a manual. My mother always told me that I would be successful if I just worked hard so I have really pushed myself to do that. When I reached high school she encouraged me to take my first metalworking class and I was hooked. My teacher noticed how interested I was in what we were learning and he suggested that I take the two-year welding course at our local vocational high school when I was a junior. This program has allowed me to be in the welding shop for half a day, every day. It’s been my happy place, and it’s even giving me the opportunity to earn my first welding certification. The best thing about the program was that I saw that I could be really good at something. I won two performance awards there during my first year. That used to be impossible to imagine -- me, winning a school award! In the fall I will be attending Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, Ohio. It’s far from my home in New Jersey but I’m excited to go. My goals in life are to be happy and successful and I think my welding career will help me start to achieve those goals. I think all the time about how proud my father would be of me graduating high school and starting out on this path. He also had trouble learning in school when he was young but he was also good with his hands, and after high school he became a tradesman and he was successful. So I see a lot of him in myself. He passed away when I was 6 years old and I know that he would be bursting with pride to know I’ll become a welder. I can picture myself someday teaching welding or metalworking to high school students because I am so thankful that I had great teachers who showed me that I can be a success no matter what challenges I may face.