During the summer of 2018, I attended the Orienteering Workshop at Apprentice University. I had not planned on taking any classes that upcoming fall, but during the summer, my mom had coffee with the Director of Student Engagement, and before I knew it, I was enrolled in 4 classes. I did not know at the time that those two next sessions as a Jumpstart student would be my favorite year in high school. Most of my fondest memories came from taking classes as a Jumpstart student. What drew me in was the community and how close everyone was. I knew this was a place that I belonged!

During the first two sessions, I took 7 classes. These classes can be broken up into soft skills building with Professional Communications, Emotional Intelligence, and Critical Thinking Through Current Events. There were also classes that helped develop my hard skills too, such as Digital Storytelling, and Constitutional Studies. Then there were the faith-based classes taught by Brian Hudson such as To Change the World and Faith, Film, and Dialogue. These classes taught by professionals helped me grow as a person in many different ways. Being in Jumpstart prepared me to become an apprentice by giving me the foundation of skills that would help me during my apprenticeships. 

In conclusion, being in the JumpStart program took a quiet kid who did not really know what he wanted to do after high school, and helped that kid find a direction and a purpose. JumpStart helped me be able to gain my confidence and interact with people that I'm surrounded by on a weekly basis. Those classes and being with the people at Apprentice University helped me flourish in many tremendous ways.