Howdy, reader! I trust your day has been very well. In case you missed it, my name is Kerena Williams. It is a pleasure to 'meet' you! I chose to answer the second prompt regarding personal goals, and aspirations in the trade, and how a scholarship will help achieve this. I hope you find my essay submission a delight to read. This Fall, I will wrap up my second semester at Parker Technical Trade School in Rathdrum, ID for their HVACR program! My first semester has been a blast. My course instructor, Sean, is an awesome guy who is so down-to-earth there is simply no pulling him back up. His insightfulness and knowledge about all things HVAC is incomprehensible to me. It is beyond safe to say I have learned a lot from him in the first 4 1/2 months of the course. Resuming school this Fall has been an exciting thought, and completing it even more so. While grades hold a level of importance for me, possessing solid apprehension of the material is my main focus for the course. I want to confidently apply the concepts, processes, and practices learned in my studies to troubleshoot issues outside of the classroom. Earlier this year I began apprenticing at a local theme park and found myself slightly overwhelmed with how intricate systems could be, especially that of kitchen equipment. Vat fryers, ice machines, steam kettles, blast chillers, and ovens were the main items we were tasked with. Working on these became a lesson in and of itself, and made me realize that one understood concept can be similarly applied to the operations of another. I could often translate small portions of classroom knowledge to the equipment but I would like to see myself expand on this moving forward, and expand on it with more certainty. As previously stated, being prepared with in-depth and applicable knowledge is my focal personal goal. Futuristically speaking, my career goal is two-fold: I would like to work as a service technician for industrial companies such as Appco, GEA/FES, and Aggreko, specifically in the refrigeration aspect. This also includes the manufacturers of some of the equipment I've been able to get my hands on such as Trane, Carrier, & York. The aforementioned was the career path that my journeyman/mentor of 2 years took, and I'd like to follow in his footsteps. Additionally, finishing my Cybersecurity degree is the other goal on my radar. Before studying HVAC, I attended Grand Canyon University for their undergraduate degree in Cybersecurity. Computer science has always been an interest of mine and I want to resume my schooling there and finish what I started. I would love to have a career that combines these two interests, HVAC & computer science. The possibility of pursuing and chasing careers equipped with specialized knowledge provides me with a great sense of optimism. The accomplishments I can carry with me because of schooling and seeing what avenues are available are immensely inspiring and encouraging—scholarships have a great ability to assist an individual in achieving this. Thank you for your time, Kerena W.

Howdy reader, I trust you're having a great day! In case you missed it, my name is Kerena Williams. It is a pleasure to 'meet' you! I hope you find my essay submission a delight to read and advantageous, and consider me in your ventures for choosing a recipient. Coming Fall, I will wrap up my second semester at Parker Technical Trade School in Rathdrum, ID for their HVACR program! My first semester has been a blast. The course instructor, Sean, is an awesome guy who is so down-to-earth there is simply no pulling him back up. His insightfulness and knowledge about all things HVAC is incomprehensible to me. It's beyond safe to say I have learned a lot in the first 4 1/2 months of the course. What prompted me to pursue an HVACR certificate from Parker Technical is quite an unconventional series of events (albeit a good and fortunate series of events.) After graduating high school in 2021, I moved to Arizona to attend Grand Canyon University (GCU) for its Cybersecurity program. Halfway through my sophomore year, expenses to continue schooling at GCU became a concern. I decided against taking out loans to finish my degree, so I returned home. Upon my arrival home, my sister landed me a job where she worked at - Coeur d'Alene on Ice. Andrea & Jerome, the owners of the ice rink, were a husband and wife team. Industrial refrigeration was Jerome's occupation, and it was one of his air-cooled chillers that the rink relied on to make the ice. I had never heard of a 'chiller' or had the slightest idea how refrigeration worked until then. This piqued my interest. When the winter seasons were upon us, I worked at the rink and shadowed Jerome, and I still currently do. I am also very blessed to have landed a job at a theme park called Silverwood as an HVAC apprentice this spring and summer. Resuming school this Fall has been an exciting thought, and completing it even more so. While grades hold a level of importance for me, possessing solid apprehension of the material will be my main focus for the remainder of the course. I want to confidently apply the concepts and practices learned to troubleshoot issues in and outside the classroom. Being prepared with in-depth knowledge is my focal educational goal. Futuristically speaking, my goal is two-fold: I want to work as a service technician for industrial refrigeration companies such as Appco, GEA/FES, and especially Aggreko. This was the career path my mentor chose. Additionally, finishing my Cybersecurity degree is the other goal on my radar. The possibility of pursuing and chasing careers equipped with specialized knowledge provides me with a great sense of optimism. The accomplishments I can carry with me because of schooling and seeing what avenues are available are immensely inspiring and encouraging—scholarships have a great ability to assist an individual in achieving this.