My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational Highschool. I want to be a licensed electrician to provide and support my family. I have always been passionate about the trades because of my father. My father was a line cook but he did carpentry on the side and when I watched him work he seemed the happiest. I grew up in the Maverick Landing Projects of East Boston and it was very rough for me and my family financially. I tried my best to excel in school and make my family proud. I ended up choosing a vocational school because I wanted to learn a trade. I was always fascinated by the electrical work my grandfather did so I put that as my first choice. The moment I got into my program, I tried my best to be the top student in my class. I excelled in my shop projects and my classroom code tests. I ended up getting a internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as an electrical apprentice and I got to have the experience of what it’s like to be an apprentice. I showed up on time, helped out the electricians and got to learn about electrical in a commercial setting. It was a fantastic experience and I was glad to have had the experience to have an internship. Around my junior year of Highschool I found out my girlfriend was pregnant. She was against abortions and I loved her so I had to take responsibility and try to step into that role. I worked a full-time job on top of Highschool to prepare of my son to come into this world. I didn’t let this be an excuse for my performance in class. I still showed up every day and made sure to excel in my trade class because I wanted a spot into the Union. I applied into the Union Apprenticeship at local 103 and I’m proud to say that I got a spot in there this September 2024. I have realized that bringing a life into this world is a lot financially so in order for me to provide I needed to work a trade. Working a trade was something I have always wanted to do but starting a family has made me hungrier and tougher. I can see visibly that I crave success a lot more than some of my peers and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s become an obsession and I know my trade will open doors to opportunities that I never thought were possible. I plan starting my own electrical contracting business and this scholarship will help with the books and other fees that the apprenticeship program charges. I want to be able to take care of my family and I want to help my parents. I hope to win this on behalf of my family and my school. Thank you for this opportunity and I am happy to have shared my story. Best, Jesse

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I have always been fascinated with seeing my grandfather's work. He was a carpenter who was always quiet when he worked, but his work was always neat and clean. When I got older I realized he made a lot of money from side jobs and I wanted to have the opportunity to do that as well. I ended up going to a vocational school in Boston. I went to Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I chose the electrical program because it caught my interest the most out of all of the skilled trades. I always wanted to know what was behind all of the light switches and lights that were all around me. So quickly I put in as much effort as I could and it didn't take long before I was the top student in the class I excelled in all of my weekly tests and shop projects. Around this time my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. I wasn't ready to be a father but my girlfriend didn't want to abort the baby so I had to take responsibility and try my best to step into that role. I found a job and worked full-time during my senior year of High School. None of that stopped me from still wanting the opportunity to go into the Union and start my career. I showed up to school every day, went to work, and made prescription deliveries on foot, then I helped my girlfriend with what little time I had to take care of my son. This destroyed mentally me but it definitely made me stronger. When I first went to High School I still wasn't sure I was going to be an electrician. But now that I have a family that depends on me, they motivate me to be the best version of myself. Working a job and knowing I'm providing for my family definitely made my work better, and it gave me a purpose. I graduated High School with a 3.7 GPA and I was the top electrical student. I earned a spot in trade school at Local 103 JATC (Electricians Union IBEW). I am extremely excited to start in trade school and I am planning to start in September of 2024. I have a lot of things I want to be able to do in the future of my community. There were a couple of times when the Union donated tools and equipment to us and it helped us learn more about our trade. We worked with equipment and stock that was residential, commercial, and also some low voltage relay work. I want to be able to help out vocational high schools and trade schools with equipment and tools. I want to go back to my High School and give boots and tools to the top students in any of the skilled trades. I want my son to live in a community that's a better place than mine, and it starts with me doing my part in my own way. I want to set a good example for my son and I want him to learn from me and not make the mistakes I made. Thank you for this opportunity and I would be honored to win this for my school and my family.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I am a teen Dad who has worked a full-time job on top of going to High School. I have always had a passion for the trades because my grandfather used to inspire me a lot. He was always quiet when he worked but I was also surprised at how much he made from his side jobs. I wanted to be able to do that as well, so I decided to go into a vocational school and I chose electrical. I quickly became the top student in the class but at the time this was happening my girlfriend told me she was pregnant and that she wanted to keep the baby. As much as I wasn't ready to be a father I loved my girlfriend and chose to take responsibility. I went looking all over the city of Boston trying to find a job that would take a kid with not much on his resume. I eventually found a job at a retail pharmacy called Gary Drug in Beacon Hill Boston. They were in an independent pharmacy which was partly family-run. They treated me very well and I was able to save up money for when my son was born. The toughest year of my life thus far was my senior year of High School. I went to school every day, went to work, and spent what little time I had giving my girlfriend a break from the baby. There was a lot of sleep deprivation, body pains, and depression but even through all of it, I managed to stay the top student of the class. I graduated High School with a 3.7 GPA and earned a spot in trade school at JATC Local 103(Electrician’s Union). One of the ways I plan to make an impact through my career is to help out young parents and to help out kids going into the trades. There were a couple of times when our school got blessed with tools and equipment and once when the Electrician’s Union donated a van to us. It was on the news and during my last two years of High School, I was able to work with those tools and learn a lot. I worked with Romex, relays, and fire alarm systems because of generous people who wanted us to succeed. I want to do the same when I become a licensed electrician. I want to pass on the love I received in the beginning so the next guy could have a spot better than mine. I hope to win this scholarship on behalf of my family and my school. Thank you for this opportunity.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. Probably one of the biggest hardships I will ever experience is going to High School while being a parent. I spent the first two years of High School wanting to take on a trade for financial security and I knew college wasn't for me. So I chose electrical and I became the top student up until my junior year of High School. My girlfriend at the time told me she was pregnant and I knew I wasn't ready to be a father but I loved her and I needed to step into that role. I went looking for months to find a job. I went from one establishment to the next all around Boston to see if anyone would take a kid with not much in my resume. I ended up working at a retail pharmacy in Beacon Hill called Gary Drug. They were an Independent pharmacy that treated me well and had very loyal customers. I was then able to save my money and provide for my girlfriend and my son coming into this world. I ended up spending my senior year of High School working full-time at the pharmacy and helping out my girlfriend with my son with the little time I had. This year was probably the biggest hardship in my life thus far but I also think it was the best year of my life. The sleep deprivation, the stress, and the physical pain that I had made everything feel real. It made me feel more passionate about my work, it gave me purpose and it gave me even more ambition and drive to succeed. I showed up every day to class, completed my electrical projects early, and tried my very hardest to be the best student in the class. Then, I would go to work and do deliveries on foot from Downtown Boston to Massachusetts Avenue and back down to Beacon Hill and West End. After my deliveries were completed, I went back to the shop cleaned everything up, and closed with the pharmacist. Then I’d make my way home and cook for my girlfriend and take the baby from her with the little time I had left. This cycle would destroy me but it made me tougher and stronger. I ended up graduating with a 3.7 GPA and was the top student in my trade class. I got a spot in trade school at JATC Local 103 and plan to start there in September of 2024. I hope to do my best over there and get my electrician's license. One of my biggest dreams is to help out people who are currently in my shoes who are parents or people who want to go into the trades. I want to go back to my High School and donate boots and tools, and I want to make scholarships like this one for teen parents or scholarships for the trades. For my kid to live in a better community I have to start with myself and do my part and spread the love. Thank you so much for this opportunity and it would be an honor to receive this scholarship on behalf of my family and my school.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I went into the trades because I knew it would put me in a better place financially. My father used to tell me how important the trades were and how lucky I was to have the opportunity because I was born here in the US. I did my research and realized there is a growing demand for people in the trades so I decided to go to a Vocational High School so I could learn a trade. I decided that I wanted to go into electrical so I worked hard and passed the entrance test to get in. I was the top student and I excelled in my academic classes as well. Throughout my time in High School, I had a girlfriend and we were shocked to find out she was pregnant. As much as I knew I wasn't ready to be a father, she was going to keep the baby and I loved her so I had to try my best to step into that role. So, I went looking for a job and it took me months of walking into grocery stores and restaurants looking for a job, but I ended up finding a job at a retail pharmacy in Beacon Hill. It was an independent family-owned business that treated me very well and I was able to provide for my kid and my girlfriend. I ended up working full-time at the pharmacy while going through my senior year of High School, and though it was extremely tough I was able to get a spot in trade school at JATC Local 103. There was a lot of sleep deprivation, stress, and depression that went along with my journey with my girlfriend also having postpartum depression as well. If I had a choice to start over and do things again I’d do the same thing all over again. Having the experience of being a father and a student made me tougher and made me hungrier and more ambitious to be successful. When I was in my Sophmore year of High School, I felt like I was burning out and didn't have the discipline to take the next step and be the best version of myself. But every day I wake up in the morning and I try my best to provide for them. I want my children to live in a good community so it starts with me trying my best to do my part. I want to help kids who want to go to trade school, and I want to go back to my school and buy them boots and tools. I want to donate to nonprofits to help kids in low-income communities that want to pursue higher knowledge. I might even put up a trades scholarship on Bold.org in the future as well. I would be honored to receive this scholarship on behalf of my family and school.

I grew up in the Maverick Landing projects in East Boston. My family has always been in a rough spot but my parents worked very hard for me and my siblings. My grandfather who was a carpenter told me that if I wanted to be successful I needed to get into a trade. So, I ended up going to Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Boston and I tried my best to work hard and get the trade I wanted. I wanted to go into electricity and I was able to get in. I learned basic circuitry, conduit bending, and code that is going to help me in the long run with whatever electrical job I want to pick up. In the midst of me working hard to make my family proud I ended up becoming a teen parent. My girlfriend and I didn't know what we were gonna do but she ended up keeping the baby. I had to be responsible and I worked a full-time job at a pharmacy while going to High School to support my family. During those rough times, I still studied for my code exams, and I still woke up to put my kid back asleep, and my girlfriend was extremely drained. We tried our best and I'm proud to say that I graduated this year I plan on going to JATC Local 103 for trade school. Now that I have a family that I have to take care of going into the profession of construction is an absolute necessity for me and my family. I want to buy a house for my kids to run around in. I want my electrical license and I want to start a business. I'm willing to put the work in and become a great electrician. When I first started there were times when I didn't know why I wanted a career in the construction trade, but now that I have people who I need to take care of it has only become more and more dire to take advantage of the opportunity. I can say with great pride that regardless of my upbringing I have an amazing opportunity and I will become an electrician and hopefully become a project manager. I want to support my family and I want to make a name for myself. When I read about Mike Wazocha it broke my heart that he passed away from cancer. I don't know him at all but I know he was a role model man who worked hard and I can truly respect that. That is the same type of respect I would want from my family. I would be with great pride and honor to receive this scholarship, and thank you so much for this opportunity. Thank you again, Jesse

Hello, my name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I’m a teen dad and I am headed to JATC for trade school at Local 103. I have interned for the Federal Reserve Bank Of Boston and I’ve worked at a retail pharmacy in Beacon Hill, Boston delivering prescriptions on food to patients. I have also interned and volunteered for Tenacity which is a non-profit organization that helps kids learn to love tennis and literature. My first two years of High School were spent trying my best to learn my trade in electrical and maintain a high GPA in my academics. When I volunteered for Tenacity it was a challenge to play tennis with masks on but we made sure the kids had fun. We ran tennis drills and had them learn their fundamentals like their forehand and backhand. I was making my parents proud and I was trying my best to help out my community. My next two years were a crazy change that I was never expecting. I was interning for the Federal Reserve Bank Of Boston as an Electrical Apprentice. I made pretty decent money and it looked great on my resume. But after the internship my girlfriend told me she was pregnant and we didn’t know what to do. She decided to keep the baby and I had to step into that role and become a father. I looked from store to store in Downtown Boston looking for a kid with a couple of things on his resume that would hire him. I eventually worked at Gary Drug and I was a cashier and did the deliveries on foot. I tried to save up money so that when my kid was born he was okay. My senior year of High School I worked full-time while going to high school while taking care of my kid whenever I was home. I still managed to be at the top of my class in my electrical trade and maintained a high honor roll. After I graduated, I was still working and waiting to start trade school. Even after all the sleepless nights, the times where I had to study the code for my exam, the times where I didn’t have anything to eat but I made sure my son and girlfriend did, I still managed to come out on top of my peers. I’ve tried my best to help out my community and my family, and I hope to make a positive contribution to my trade of electricity. I hope to start an electrical contracting company and hire young guys like me who are passionate about the trades and hard working. I will try to go through my apprenticeship and try to go for my license and eventually get my master's license and start a business. I hope to win this for my family and my school.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez, the top electrical student at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. I can say with pride that I have been a good boyfriend, son, brother, and father to my family. I have volunteered for Tenacity which is a non-profit organization that helps children and young adults love the game of tennis and literature. I have spent the first two years of high school working hard trying to make my parents proud maintaining a high GPA and volunteering for Tenacity. When I was in middle school a program called Tenacity was reaching out to students who were interested in playing tennis and studying literature as well. I spent the next years of middle school with wonderful staff who helped me get better at tennis and made me feel more confident. I ended up playing with other schools and even practicing on Harvard Tennis courts. It was a wonderful experience and it made me the person I am today. Fast forward to my first year of high school where I excelled in my freshman and sophomore year of my classes. I volunteered for Tenacity and it felt great to help my community. I was able to see myself back in middle school when I ran tennis drills with them. It started very quiet, but when you see the kids come out of their shells and be happy that they come to our site it feels great. I was able to make my parents worry-free and proud that I did well in my academics and was helping out and volunteering in the summertime. When it comes to my next two years of high school it became different and tougher. I worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in the summer. I tried my best to work hard and be a good worker in the eight weeks I was there. I made pretty decent money and it looked great on my resume. But when I started classes in my junior year of high school my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. We were both shocked and we didn’t know what to do. My girlfriend was against abortions and she wanted to keep it. I was not ready to have a kid, but I loved her and I knew that it was my responsibility to step into that role and become ready. I ended up going from one store to another and filling out tons of applications for any job that would take a kid with not much on his resume. I ended up working at a retail pharmacy in Beacon Hill. I was a good worker who delivered prescriptions to patients on foot. I went from Downtown Boston to Massachusetts Avenue and back and made my way to the West End and North End. I made sure that my kid had everything he needed so that when he was born I could support my girlfriend in raising my son. I worked full-time when I was in my senior year of high school. I maintained a high GPA and was the top student in my trade class. Me and my girlfriend were exhausted but we finally completed high school and were able to have some more time on our hands to work and spend time with each other. It was been a rough two years, but I can say with pride I have a healthy son who is turning one, a family who believes in me, and a spot in trade school at Local 103. I hope to win for my family and my school. Thank you.

I thought my father was great! When I was in first grade I was coming home from school on my birthday and he surprised me with a cake and a 3DS Nintendo game. My father was the type to come into the room and make you laugh, he lit up the room and made everyone smile. He always played comedian and made my mother die of laughter. I didn't even think he was an alcoholic. I remember when I was around 9 or 10 when my mother and father were arguing and my brother and I heard glass shatter. My dad walked out of the room all wobbly and tired. He broke my mother's car windshield and left for several months. My mother was crying and my brother tried to comfort her. My father came back and said he was going to change and be better. We went to a nice restaurant and we got clothes. Things like this went on over and over again until I started high school. My mother and father were arguing like usual until my brother and I got called into the room and my mom said that my dad was going to rehab and that we were all going together. We waited at the clinic together until we got called next. When we got called next my father up and left. He never came back. And that was when I realized that as much as I loved my father, and I knew he loved us, his addiction destroyed the relationship with his family. He ended up going to Florida and my brother and I went to visit him from time to time. He has been clean for the past four years. Although my mother and father didn't get the happy ending that my brother and I wanted, they were both healthy and doing their thing. Addiction and drug abuse can destroy anyone and everyone and it affected my upbringing. I love my mom and dad and I would never be the person I would be today without them. I am the top electrical student in my vocational trade school. I have graduated from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and I am going into trade school at Local 103(Electricians Union). I am a teen dad and I have tried my best to support my girlfriend and my son. I've worked a full-time job on top of high school and I'm proud to say I'm going into the Union this September of 2024. Even though my family and I have been through a lot of hardships I can say that I have never touched any type of drugs and neither have my siblings. I hope that anyone with an addiction can overcome it for their family or themselves.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am the top student in my electrical vocation. I grew up in the Maverick Landing projects in East Boston and my family has always struggled with money. I am a teen parent and I’ve been trying my best to support my girlfriend and my son while going to school and work. I have spent my entire life worrying about money and quality of life. My father was an alcoholic who was half present and half not but still worked and my mother who was constantly working hard to provide for us was the type of life I had at home. I always tried to make them proud and be the best student I could. When I was in my junior year in high school my girlfriend told me she was pregnant and she was against abortions so I had to find a job and prepare to step into the role of a father. I went from store to store in the city of Boston looking for any place that’d take a kid with an internship at the Federal Reserve and a volunteer internship at Tenacity. I eventually found work at a small retail pharmacy in Beacon Hill as a cashier and delivery person and tried to be the best worker I could. When my girlfriend gave birth in the summer I spent my summer break working and helping my girlfriend with my son Diabian. But that was way more tough to do when our senior year of high school hit and I had to go to class. After a lot of sleep deprivation, body aches, and mental instability I managed to graduate high school and came out on top of my peers in my trade classes. I was always on time, got top scores on my weekly exams, and finished my hands-on projects in a very efficient and respectable time. I graduated with a high honor roll in my academic classes and got a scholarship to my Union school (Local 103 JATC). I am headed into the Electricians Union this September and I hope that I can give my kid and girlfriend a better quality of life. I can say with pride say that the obstacles and challenges I went through made me tougher and hungrier to succeed. They shaped my character and mental strength and pushed me beyond the limits I thought I had. The amount of hardship I went through was not in vain and made me a strong, reliable, kind, and loving father and partner. The only advice I can offer is something my father used to tell me when he was drunk and sitting on the couch before he went to work his 3 jobs. He said, “Jesse when you don't want to work, when you don't want to go to class, when you don't want to work out, remember why you woke up this morning. This is the dream right here, you busting your butt, you figuring your life out, the journey, that's what you're going to remember when you leave this earth. Be good.”

I am the top student in my vocational class. I am going to the Electricians Union this summer (Local 103). I grew up in the Maverick Landing Projects and I’m a teen Dad. My family has always struggled with money and I’ve always tried my best to provide for my family. I have a son named Diabian who is very rambunctious. My girlfriend and my son are my everything and I’ve been working a full-time job on top of high school to support them. I’ve already graduated as of June 2024 and I have some more time on my hands but this first year of my son’s life has been extremely tough. Me and my girlfriend didn’t know how we were going to make it out before we both went insane. But we graduated high school and now I have an opportunity to go into the Union and work as an Electrical Apprentice. I spend a lot of my high school days going to school and then working until late at night. Even through all of my trials and tribulations, I ended up being the top student in my class. Around Junior year in high school, I found out my girlfriend was pregnant and we didn’t know what we were going to do. My girlfriend was against abortion so I had to get it going in my head that I needed to step into that role and become a father that was better than the one I had growing up. I went from one store to another in the city of Boston looking for a job that would take a student who only had an internship at the Federal Reserve as an electrical apprentice and did volunteer work for a nonprofit called Tenacity. And eventually, I found a job at a pharmacy in Beacon Hill called Gary Drug. From then I tried my best to be the best possible worker and did deliveries on foot from Downtown Boston to Massachusetts Avenue and the West End also. I did all this while my girlfriend was pregnant and I was able to support my girlfriend and my son who was coming into the world. When he was born I tried my best to work and support my girlfriend but that became harder when my senior year of high school started and I had to go to school and work. Me and my girlfriend tried our best to stay together and take care of each other and I was able to graduate. After all the sleepless nights, and all the days I had to work extra, and all the studying I did I managed to get a scholarship into the Union. All of the times I didn’t have enough to eat but I still managed to feed my son and my girlfriend, and the times I had to wake up and make my son’s bottle, I am proud to say that my son is a healthy and happy baby. And my girlfriend has done better and has managed to get through her postpartum depression. I think that in the next couple of months, the best is yet to come for me and my family.

My name is Jesse Rodriguez and I am headed for my union apprenticeship at Local 103. I’m a teen Dad and I’ve tried my best to support my family. I’ve done volunteer work for Tenacity, a non-profit that helps students learn to play tennis and study literature. I’ve interned for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. I went to Madison Park Technical Vocational Highschool and was the top student in my electrical vocational. I want to go into the Union because of the better quality of life I can give my family. Going into the Union and studying so I can get my license could not only give me a good paying job but other benefits like health insurance and a pension. That’s what I’m trying to work for and that’s the future I want for me and my family.