The trade that I am going to school for is welding. I have been welding all my high school career and most of my life. I grew up on a ranch far enough from anywhere that we needed to be able to fix absolutely anything, or we would not be able to work and or feed the cattle. I grew up on my grandparents, my mom's side, ranch, which was my home for the time after my dad died. My mom and dad were born ranchers all their life they wanted my sister and me to grow up with the structure of the ranch. However, that was short-lived when I was about four, my father killed himself, leaving our family in shambles. My grandfather on my dad's side did not take the news very well, which is understanding. However, he kicked my mother, sister, and me out of the house we were living in. We were not without a home but we had to share a house with my mom's parents till we could move out. But my mother never gave up and I respect her so much for bringing up two kids and holding down multiple jobs to make a living, and I am so very glad she found a new husband that has always treated us with the respect and kindness of a father. With my family being behind most of my decisions, I have chosen to go into a trade. I have been part of our local FFA welding team all four years, and we made it to the state level in 2022. I have welded oxy-acetylene, TIG, MIG, ARC, and aluminum tig. I found a passion for welding and I want to pursue this passion. I have had a few mentors that have shown me how much I like to weld. One of those few mentors name is Jared Peterson; he helped me learn the ropes and how to properly TIG weld. He has been teaching me for the past four years three of those years were on tig welding. He has his own welding business and has most of the Nebraska panhandle and some of Colorado. He is one reason I want to own my own welding shop after school. I want to be as fully certified as Western Nebraska Community College gets me, but that will not be the end of my schooling, even if I really wish it was. After going to community college, I want to go to a four year for my engineering. Most people do not understand the reasoning for a welder getting their engineering, which is probably fair, but I want to be able to run and own my own business without having to outsource as much. I want to cut out the middle man with one step there will be fewer mistakes and I can get the job done faster and move on to the next.

Trades are my best option for further education. I have found that I like to weld and would like to pursue that further. I have welded for years on my family's ranch and during school. I have had a welding class every year I could take it. I am also part of the FFA welding team that has made it to the state level to compete. Since I found this spark of interest in welding, our local welder has been there the whole way; his name is Jared Peterson. Even with his busy schedule, he has welding and fabrication, and he has helped me grow my skills as a welder. He has helped me choose the college I have registered for and been accepted into. He also has shown me how far I need to push myself so that I can put my skills on display. My family has been very supportive of my division as well. They have helped me visit all sorts of welding colleges in Nebraska and Wyoming. My mother has been a great support by helping me set up college visits and finding colleges to tour. She is one of the reasons I found Jared. Another person that has helped me choose my future job was my uncle. He has been there through everything while I was deciding what to do with my life, and he was honest with everything I considered. At first, I wanted to work for him after high school, but he told me I had to live alone for at least two years before I could return. He wanted me to see what the world had to offer before I made a lifelong decision. He has told me what I would be good at if I put my mind to it. Welding has been a big part of my life for four years in high school. I have been on the welding team for FFA all four years. I have spent much of my high school career learning the basics and building off them. I have tried many techniques and welding types to see what suits me best. I have found that I like to weld TIG. My shop teacher has told me that I have gotten so advanced in TIG welding that he cannot teach me anymore. Of course, I am bragging, but I have put a lot of time and effort into getting where I am.