I am pursuing an associates degree in welding technology at State Technical College of Missouri. I also completed two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program in high school and graduated with honors there. I have been at the top of my class for my first year at State Technical College and have developed my skills and techniques further in welding. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  The number of jobs in the welding field is expected to increase by 22%. With this growth in demand comes a massive need for skilled welders. Welding plays a critical role in the creation of over half of manufactured U.S. products. Without welders, we wouldn't have our modern comforts, shelters or means of traveling from place to place. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 50% of the United States gross national product is affected by welding. Anything made of metal, no matter how big or small, can be welded. Skyscrapers, bridges, and highways would be impossible to build without welding, as would oil and natural-gas pipelines, giant wind turbines, and solar panels. You can (and should) thank a welder. They are critical to the future of America and I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of it.

As a young boy, I saw my father create a family business that others often told him would never succeed. He stayed the course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key advice he gave me is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday. I am not afraid to work. My first job was as a 10 yr old, helping my dad on our family farm. From feeding cattle, to digging post holes, to putting up hay in 95 degree Missouri humidity in July, I have done it all. With the money I earned working for my dad, I bought my first steer, and raised it and sold it to earn money to buy my first vehicle. At a very young age I appreciated the value of hard work and the rewards that can come from it. In high school, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. I am currently pursuing an associates degree in welding technology at State Technical College of Missouri. I also completed two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program in high school and graduated with honors there. I have been at the top of my class for my first year at State Technical College and have developed my skills and techniques further in welding. The number of jobs in the welding field is expected to increase by 22%. With this growth in demand comes a massive need for skilled welders. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.    While some young guys chase after big money and success, my goal is to someday down the road, be able to work with my hands as a welder and eventually open my own business to be able to provide for a family and settle down in the community I was brought up in and continue the legacy of hard work, provider, and family man that my father instilled and modeled to me.

As a young man, I saw my father create a family business that others often told him would never succeed. He stayed the course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key advice he gave me is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday.  I am pursuing an associates degree in welding technology at State Technical College of Missouri. I also completed two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program in high school and graduated with honors there. I have been at the top of my class for my first year at State Technical College and have developed my skills and techniques further in welding. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. I am not afraid to work. Working hard with my hands energizes me. My first job was as a 10 yr old, helping my dad on our family farm. From feeding cattle, to digging post holes, to putting up hay in 95 degree Missouri humidity in July. I believe I will have a future in welding because I have the work ethic, drive, and experience to do what it will take to make it happen.  While some young men chase after big money and success, my goal is to someday down the road, be able to work with my hands as a welder and eventually open my own business to be able to provide for a family and settle down in the community I was brought up in and continue the legacy of hard work, provider, and family man that my father instilled and modeled to me.  The number of jobs in the welding field is expected to increase by 22%. With this growth in demand comes a massive need for skilled welders. Welding plays a critical role in the creation of over half of manufactured U.S. products. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 50% of the United States gross national product is affected by welding. Welder's are critical to the future of America and I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of it.

course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key advice he gave me is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday.   I am pursuing an associates degree in welding technology at State Technical College of Missouri. I also completed two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program in high school and graduated with honors there. I have been at the top of my class for my first year at State Technical College and have developed my skills and techniques further in welding. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  While some young men chase after big money and success, my goal is to someday down the road, be able to work with my hands as a welder and eventually open my own business to be able to provide for a family and settle down in the community I was brought up in and continue the legacy of hard work, provider, and family man that my father instilled and modeled to me.  The number of jobs in the welding field is expected to increase by 22%. With this growth in demand comes a massive need for skilled welders. Welding plays a critical role in the creation of over half of manufactured U.S. products. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 50% of the United States gross national product is affected by welding. You can (and should) thank a welder. They are critical to the future of America and I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of it. While some young men chase after big money and success, my goal is to be able to do honest, hard work with my hands as a welder and eventually open my own business to be able to provide for a family and settle down in the community I was brought up in and continue the legacy of hard work, provider, and family man that my father instilled and modeled to me.

I believe I will have a future in welding because I have the work ethic, drive, and experience to do what it will take to make it happen.  I have been at the top of my class for my first year at State Technical College and have developed my skills and techniques further in welding. The opportunities and need for welders are immense, and I believe I will be successful because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.  While some young men chase after big money and success, my goal is to someday down the road, be able to work with my hands as a welder and eventually open my own business to be able to provide for a family and settle down in the community I was brought up in and continue the legacy of hard work, provider, and family man that my father instilled and modeled to me.  The number of jobs in the welding field is expected to increase by 22%. With this growth in demand comes a massive need for skilled welders. Welding plays a critical role in the creation of over half of manufactured U.S. products. Welding is an essential component of many industries such as the automotive industry, the construction industry, the aviation industry, and more. Without this form of metal work, so many things, including many buildings, gates, and fences, small kitchen appliances, vehicles - and even space travel - would not exist. Without welders, we wouldn't have our modern comforts, shelters or means of traveling from place to place. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 50% of the United States gross national product is affected by welding. Anything made of metal, no matter how big or small, can be welded. Skyscrapers, bridges, and highways would be impossible to build without welding, as would oil and natural-gas pipelines, giant wind turbines, and solar panels. You can (and should) thank a welder. They are critical to the future of America and I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of it. A time I overcame adversity was when I lost a good friend and hunting companion in high school. He died from a freak hunting accident. It rocked my world to see someone so young die doing something I was passionate about myself and had done alongside him before. I learned that it is important to lean on others during times of loss and lean on my faith. I had been taught that my whole life, but it was the first time I actually had to apply it. I learned that community with others is important and showing up for something like a funeral can mean the world to a grieving family. I was nervous to go, but when I got there and his mom was so grateful we came and told us how thankful she was, I knew it was the right thing. I didn’t allow this setback to stop me from hunting, however, I learned from it and applied additional safety measures to my hunting routine to help prevent a similar accident in my life. I think in adversity, the best thing you can do to make it count for something good, is learn from it and keep going and advocate for necessary change to prevent it from happening again.

As a young man, I saw my father create a family business that others often told him would never succeed. He stayed the course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday. I plan to pursue an associates degree in welding technology post high school graduation and completion of two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program. As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. I have always been a driven, self motivated, visionary, entrepreneur. My first job was as a 10 yr old, helping my dad on our family farm. From feeding cattle, to digging post holes, to putting up hay. I started working side jobs for neighbors and people in our community from the time I was 13, to earn money, or to earn the right to hunt on their property. These menial jobs gave me some money as a young man, but also gave me an opportunity to build work ethic and take pride in a job well done. I have worked in fast food, retail, and service jobs. I’m no stranger to the less than fun work that is available to a 16 year old starting out. As an older teen, I have used my skills as a welder and creativity to build and sell custom trailers, hunting stands, and boat ramps, to name a few. I have worked for multiple companies during the summer as a general laborer in a welding shop and in the building trades to get exposure and further my experience also. I believe I will have a future in welding because I have the work ethic, experience, and drive to do what it will take to make my dreams happen.

My future plans are to attend State Technical college and receive my associates degree in welding technology. I have been accepted and am enrolled to start in the fall. Although there are some certificate programs that would get me to the workforce quicker, I am hoping an associates degree will give me a more well rounded education and a better foundation to eventually help me to reach my goal of running my own business. I plan to use my degree to start on a travel job, such as the pipeline, to get experience and save money. Once I am more established financially, and have the experience that would be needed, it would be my long term goal to settle down in one place, back in the community I grew up in, and open my own business. This scholarship would help me to achieve my goal of attending college without going into debt. If I can graduate with little to no debt, I can start saving money sooner to follow the plans I have to eventually start my own business. I don’t want to ask my parents or grandparents to pay for my college. I think it is important that I take responsibility for that and work to pay for the education after high school and if necessary, take a student loan to pay for what I can’t. As a young man, I saw my father create a family business that others often told him would never succeed. He stayed the course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday. He also did not go into debt to pay for his school or grow his business and has encouraged me that if I am willing to do the work and put forth the effort necessary to deny myself of immediate, but unnecessary pleasures, such as newest car or fancy house or the nicest gadgets. He taught me to live within my means and be willing to save for what I want first, without getting enslaved to debt. I see how this has benefited my father and our family over the years and hope to model what he has taught me for my future also.

I plan to pursue an associates degree in welding technology post high school graduation and completion of two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program. As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. My future plans are to attend State Technical college and receive my associates degree in welding technology. I have been accepted and am enrolled to start in the fall. Although there are some certificate programs that would get me to the workforce quicker, I am hoping an associates degree will give me a more well rounded education and a better foundation to eventually help me to reach my goal of running my own business. I plan to use my degree to start on a travel job, such as the pipeline, to get experience and save money. Once I am more established financially, and have the experience that would be needed, it would be my long term goal to settle down in one place, back in the community I grew up in, and open my own business. I believe I will have a future in welding, because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams. A time I overcame adversity was when I developed bacterial meningitis and almost died. I was hospitalized for a week and underwent many painful tests and procedures. During this time I was missing out on all the things I thought were so important at the time, including my 8th grade dance. I was so excited about going and at the time thought it was “the end of the world” that I couldn’t. Seeing so many sick kids in the hospital that were maybe never going to leave there and hearing them cry nonstop in the room next door for that entire week really changed my perspective. I realized that I could have died, but didn’t. I had a few setbacks, but they were minimal compared to what others were going through, and that I could be grateful for medical care that saved my life and for the perspective that the things l considered adversity, really weren’t. I could instead be grateful and use the second chance I had in life and use it to for good.

I plan to pursue an associates degree in welding technology post high school graduation and completion of two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program. As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. My first job was as a 10 yr old, helping my dad on our family farm. From feeding cattle, to digging post holes, to putting up hay in 95 degree Missouri humidity in July, I have done it all. With the money I earned working for my dad, I bought my first steer, and raised it and sold it to earn money to buy my first vehicle. I have always been a driven, self motivated, visionary, entrepreneur, working side jobs for neighbors and people in our community from the time I was 13, to earn money, or to earn the right to hunt on their property. I have done menial tasks for money like taking care of dogs, pulling weeds, digging a goldfish pond, cleaning chicken houses, cleaning out brush piles, and many other not so fun tasks that gave me some money as a young man, but also gave me an opportunity to build work ethic and take pride in a job well done at its completion. I have worked in fast food, retail, and service jobs. I’m no stranger to the less than fun work that is available to a 16 year old starting out. As an older teen, I have used my skills as a welder and creativity to build and sell custom trailers, hunting stands, and boat ramps, to name a few. I have worked for multiple companies during the summer as a general laborer in a welding shop and in the building trades to get exposure and further my experience also. The work ethic instilled in me by my parents, along with my passion to succeed and do whatever it takes to get there along the way, along with the skills I will learn and put to use will set me up for reaching my goals, if I willing to go after what I want and not quit. I plan to use my degree to start on a travel job, such as the pipeline, to get experience and save money. Once I am more established financially, and have the experience that would be needed, it would be my long term goal to settle down in one place, back in the community I grew up in, and open my own business. I believe I will have a great future in welding, because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to do the work, take the risks, follow through with the steps needed, and go for my dreams.

As a young man, I saw my father create a family business that others often told him would never succeed. He stayed the course, put in the hard work, and followed his dream. He taught me the value of hard work and determination and taught me that sometimes you have to be willing to take risks others will tell you not to. The key is to be teachable, adaptable, not too proud to hear sound advice, but not let it stop you from going after what you want. These core foundational values that have been instilled in me from childhood will help me to achieve my dreams someday. I plan to pursue an associates degree in welding technology post high school graduation and completion of two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program. As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized, but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. I have always been a driven, self motivated, visionary, self-starter, working side jobs from the time I was 13, to earn money. I have done menial tasks for money like taking care of dogs, pulling weeds, digging a goldfish pond, cleaning chicken houses, cleaning out brush piles, and many other tasks that gave me some money as a young man, but also gave me an opportunity to build work ethic and take pride in a job well done. I have worked in fast food, retail, and service jobs. I’m no stranger to the less than fun work that is available to a 16 year old starting out. As an older teen, I have used my skills as a welder and creativity to build and sell custom trailers, hunting stands, and boat ramps, to name a few. I have worked for multiple companies as a general laborer in a welding shop and in the building trades to get exposure and further my experience also. I am goal oriented and desire to some day own my own business, as my father did. My plans are to attend State Technical college and receive my associates degree in welding technology. I have been accepted and am enrolled to start in the fall. Although there are some certificate programs that would get me to the workforce quicker, I am hoping an associates degree will give me a more well rounded education and a better foundation to eventually help me to reach my goal of running my own business. I plan to use my degree to start on a travel job, such as the pipeline, to get experience and earn money. Once I am more established financially, and have the experience that would be needed, it would be my long term goal to settle down in one place and open my own shop or business. I believe I will have a future in welding, because the opportunity is there and I am not afraid to go for it.

I plan to pursue an associates degree in welding technology post high school graduation and completion of two years at Pike-Lincoln technical school welding program. As a young man, I started looking for ways to use my skills that I developed as an artist with drawing and painting for a future career and someone mentioned I should try welding. I took a high school agriculture class that involved welding and found that I not only really enjoyed the hands on aspect, but also had a talent for it. I enrolled in Pike-Lincoln tech school through my high school the following year and have continued to develop my skills and passion for it there. I have found a way to use fine motor skills and creativity and hands on work that really make me excited and energized , but also will provide an income for me as an adult. It really is the best of both worlds. I have always been a driven, self motivated, visionary, self-starter, working side jobs from the time I was 13, to earn money. I have built custom trailers, hunting stands, and boat ramps, to name a few. I have worked doing various other tasks also, to build my resume and add skills to my list of experiences. I have worked for multiple companies as a general laborer in a welding shop and in the building trades to get exposure and further my experience also. I am goal oriented and desire to some day own my own business. My plans are to attend State Technical college and receive my associates degree in welding technology. I have been accepted and am enrolled to start in the fall. Although there are some certificate programs that would get me to the workforce quicker, I am hoping an associates degree will give me a more well rounded education and a better foundation to eventually help me to reach my goal of running my own business. I plan to use my degree to start on a travel job, such as the pipeline, to get experience and earn money. Once I am more established financially, and have the experience that would be needed, it would be my long term goal to settle down in one place and open my own shop or business. An adult in my life that would recommend me for this scholarship would be Jim Young. I have worked for him doing side jobs since I was 13-14 yrs old. He would tell you that I am determined, hardworking, have follow through, and drive to finish well. He would commend my work ethic and respectful attitude. He would say that I am motivated not only to earn money but to earn respect as a young entrepreneur. He has said this in so many words to my parents, other employers, and in college scholarship recommendation letters.