Building a Legacy of Success
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Joseph Bowman attended the Upper Valley Career Center and completed the Welding Technologies program in Piqua, Ohio. He received an opportunity to work with Nidec Minster as part of their Welding Internship Program. As a successful apprenticeship student, he had many accomplishments, including maintaining a 4.0 GPA, becoming the youngest employee to pass all six welding qualification tests required in order to weld at Nidec, and being nominated for a 20 Under 20 Award. In addition to these accolades, Joseph received the Outstanding Job Placement Award, the Matthew D. Zimpfer Award, and was also recognized by Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and The General Assembly of the State of Ohio with an Outstanding Attainment Award.
Currently enrolled at Edison Community College, Joseph continues to work full-time at Nidec while pursuing his Mechanical Engineering degree. His ultimate goal is to own his own weld shop on his family farm. Of his time at the Career Center, Joseph said, “Looking back, my choice to further my education at the Upper Valley Career Center in a trade program, such as welding, was the greatest choice of my high school career. I would not be this far along in my skills of welding without the wonderful teachers and staff at the school.” |
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Aleta Eberett Adams needed a career path that would allow her to support her new baby. She enrolled in the cosmetology program at the Tri-County Joint Vocational School the year after her daughter was born, and flourished in the program. TCJVS made her feel like she belonged, and she was elected Class President her senior year.
Upon graduation, she enlisted in the Army. After serving for six years with the Army, she decided to return to cosmetology and went back to TCJVS to prepare for state board. She succeeded in obtaining her manager license and got a job at the Officer's Club Beauty Salon, eventually owning several salons. Aleta decided to go back to school and obtained her bachelor degree in business. She held several different positions in the Army, and today Aleta is the Target Test Director for the Space and Missile Defense Command. Aleta learned so much at the career center, and said of her experience: “Being President of the 1977 senior cosmetology class taught me leadership, graduating with my class showed me I can do anything I put my mind to, and knowing how to cut hair afforded me opportunities to meet people I would have never had the chance to meet." |
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Drew Joseph knew since he was a young child tinkering with his dad’s truck that he wanted to work with cars as a career. He attended the Portage Lakes Career Center’s automotive technology program and graduated in 2015. Attending a career center gave Drew the opportunity to do something he loved while learning brand new skills he could use in his future career.
As a senior at PLCC, Drew participated in Skills USA and took second place, which earned him a scholarship to attend the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) in Mooresville, North Carolina. He took core automotive and NASCAR classes while volunteering with Young’s Motorsports where he spent over 1,600 volunteer hours learning how to build race cars and get them ready for the racetrack. Drew was immediately hired by Young’s Motorsports following the completion of his NTI training. He then received an offer to work for Roush Yates Engines, the exclusive Ford engine builder for NASCAR. He is one of the youngest people to ever work for the company and now works with Ford’s top engineers. Career centers open doors to opportunities students like Drew may never have, and he is now living life in the fast lane and enjoying a rewarding career! |
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Jeff Blevins attended the Portage Lakes Career Center and graduated in 2008 from the Public Safety program. He wanted to follow his childhood dream of being a police officer or a firefighter, and was bored in his regular high school classes. The career center offered him an opportunity to do something he was really interested in, and build a career.
After graduation, Jeff immediately chose to follow the fire protection career path and joined the U.S. Air Force. With the knowledge he gained at PLCC, he went straight through the military fire academy without being held back for training issues. He was a firefighter in the Air Force for six years and deployed twice as a fireman. The PLCC allowed him to find an adventurous career path, and he made the switch to the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), which is a battlefield airmen career. The training is intense and the job tough, but rewarding. Jeff currently lives in El Paso, Texas with his wife who is also in the military, and their border collie, Knoxford Ulysses Blevin. |
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