My father was a Marine, welder, and truck driver. He enjoyed the Marine Corps and welding the most. I joined the Marines at 18 and did 8 years. After, I set my eyes on the truck industry, specifically the logistics side of it. It wasn't the worst thing, but I felt too disconnected from the work that I was doing. Then my dad died and around the same time the logistics field was going through a lot of changes and with that, layoffs. There I was, no job, a child to provide for, and savings quickly dwindling. I needed something but wasn't sure what it was yet, I applied for hundreds of jobs and came across an application for welding. I got mad at my dad for never teaching me how to weld which led me to looking into college and trade schools. I chose tidewater Tech. Since then, I have found an obsession for welding, whether its tig, flux, or stick I love it all. I have been top of the class since I started bringing home achievements like being on the school's presidents list and praise from my instructors and more importantly for me, admiration from my fellow classmates. I plan on using the skills and trades being taught to me to build things in this world. To be able to drive around with my daughter like my father did with me and point at things and tell her how I helped build that.