Real Success Stories

Meet real role models working in various industries who have found success through alternative pathways after high school — and what they like about what they do! Looking to dive deeper? Complete this scavenger hunt to help you explore the many paths to success.

Alex Hamel

Workforce Planning Talent Acquisition Specialist

Alex Hamel loves to talk with K-12 students about the wide variety of jobs at Spirit AeroSystems! He views the company as a "small city," and enjoys showing students how they can have a fulfilling, exciting career helping to build airplanes and supporting the people who do. Learn more about Spirit...
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Heather Ferguson

Operating Room Registered Nurse

My fascination with the human body began at a very young age. When I was in first grade, I scraped my knee and told my mom to not worry because my platelets were forming a scab for me. In high school, when my dad had heart surgery, I realized I wanted to do something involving surgery someday.
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Quinton Berggren

Mechanical Engineer

When I was growing up, I loved trains and always wanted to be a locomotive engineer. That changed, though, when I watched my first episode of MythBusters. The idea of building and creating things to test out theories had me hooked and I was sure now that this would be my future career. What all my...
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Colt Hahn

Farmworker

I always wanted to grow up to be a cowboy like John Wayne, Lucas McCain or the Cartwrights. Owning and running a ranch sounded like a good time! That kind of lifestyle really appealed to me. As I got older, I started to think about what kind of job I could actually have. To get a feel for the...
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Alex Richmeier

Project Engineer

I first became interested in construction when I was in high school. I’d helped some family members complete a few home renovation projects and really enjoyed the process. During that time, I was exposed to the planning, budgeting and execution required for even small construction jobs.
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Carrie Greenwood

Program Coordinator

Growing up, I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted my career path to look like. Little did I know that my path would lead me to be so passionate about working with youth with disabilities.
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Lacy Wolters

High School Teacher

I started my career journey as a wealth manager, which is someone who help people make good decisions about their money — which might sound like a far cry from a teacher, but many of the duties translate and still help me as an educator now. In college, I double majored in accounting and finance...
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Veronica Lara

Bus Paraeducator

As a child growing up in Mexico, my goal was to become a teacher. I helped my mom take care of my siblings, which sparked my love for childcare and education. To this day, I love working with children and enjoy advocating for everyone to treat others how they would like to be treated.
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Maverick Aggson

Boat-Building Apprentice

When I was young, I desperately wanted to be a sea captain. I would make boats out of paper, Legos, old baskets and cardboard to float in the kitchen sink. The ocean and people’s relationship with it drew me in. I knew I’d be happy at the helm of any vessel, from the greatest of ocean liners to the...
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Kelly Carmody

Middle School Teacher

Choosing a career was easy for me — I’ve never wanted to do anything but teach. I’d sometimes pretend to be a teacher when I was a kid, knowing I wanted to be a “helper” someday. To me, sharing knowledge with others sounded like the perfect way to serve my community.
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