Ask Caleb R. why he’s interested in welding, and you’ll get a quick answer.
“To be honest – the fire,” he said. “The colors, the flames, the explosion of it.”
Caleb, a senior at Westside High School, has excelled at welding ever since he first picked up a torch. His skill earned him a position as a lab tech in the Westside welding lab where he assists younger welders, maintains equipment, and works on projects. He recently repaired an ATV trailer hitch for the school resource officer.
This fall, he’s also working as a mechanic and welder at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard in Gretna, Nebraska.
Caleb recently completed an internship at Kawasaki where he worked on several projects, including creating building frames and creating bumpers for golf carts. He credits Avenue Scholars Career Coach, Steve Johnston, with telling him about the internship opportunity and encouraging him to apply.
The practical work experience, he said, has been a huge boost to his professional journey.
“That’s a huge thing on my resumé,” he said. “I’ve learned that from seeing how jobs I’ve applied to respond to it. I get way better responses now than I would with just classes.”
In the long-term, Caleb wants to become an underwater pipeline welder and own his own business. He enjoys his work, he said – especially the experience of completing a big project and seeing the finished product.
“I’ve never been able to really sit still – I always need to use my hands to make stuff,” he said. “I took a lot of things apart when I was a kid and got in trouble for it. Now I know how to put them back together.”
