#UCPSGrads: Forest Hills High senior Jafet Gamboa and Sun Valley High senior Kennedy Rowland
Sun Valley High – Kennedy Rowland
For the past three years, Kennedy Rowland has been somewhat of a permanent fixture in Sun Valley High’s Fire Academy classroom.
She has taken five classes, earned 22 fire certifications and worked as a peer tutor in her school’s fire academy. She also earned a Fire Control certification and volunteers 30 hours a week at the Stallings Fire Department -- all while maintaining great grades and serving as captain of her school’s volleyball team.
As she prepares to embark on a career in emergency services, this is what Kennedy had to say about her time at Sun Valley High:
On why she enrolled in Sun Valley High’s Fire Academy: My dad was in fire service for most of my life. When he passed away the last semester of my freshman year, I immediately signed up for the fire academy. By the end of my sophomore year I had taken all five classes and earned all of the certifications offered. I fell into it and got obsessed with it.
On leadership and inspiring younger students: Being a peer tutor for the fire academy was the highlight of high school. I loved helping to teach the class and being a mentor for other students. Even outside of school, I’ve realized that there’s always someone looking up to you. When I’m doing parades with the fire department, sometimes little girls will ask to take pictures with me. That’s why I always try to be a role model and show young children the importance of hard work, dedication and staying on the right path.
On her plans for the future: I plan to go to Central Piedmont Community College to earn my associate’s degree in the fire science program and then transfer to UNCC to get my bachelor’s degree. Then, I will apply for a full-time position with the Charlotte Fire Department. After that, I’m going to apply for my master’s degree. Ultimately, I want to be the Fire Chief for the Stallings Fire Department.
On why she chose to embark on a career in emergency services: People call the fire and police departments on the worst day of their lives. I love knowing that I have the knowledge and training to help anyone at any time, and it’s such a great way to connect with the community. I love being able to help people without asking for anything in return.
Forest Hills High – Jafet Gamboa
When Jafet Gamboa signed up for an agriculture class at Forest Hills High, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He knew welding would be part of the course – which he thought would be cool to learn more about -- but never seriously considered it as something he’d continue to pursue when he left the class.
After one semester, he was hooked.
Today, Gamboa has not only excelled in his welding classes at Forest Hills High, he’s also had the opportunity to show off his skills and compete in a national welding competition during his senior year.
As he prepares to attend Tulsa Welding School – one of the largest and most recognized schools for welding in the entire country – this is what Jafet had to say about his time at Forest Hills High:
On the Forest Hills High welding program: I didn’t really know much about welding when I joined the Ag class during my junior year. I always saw videos of welding online and I thought it could be a good job, but I didn’t know much about it until I started to get the hands-on experience in school. Once I started to do it, it kind of felt peaceful to me. Even though you have a lot of sparks flying, it can be kind of calming. I’m pretty passionate about it.
On competing in the Tulsa Welding School national welding competition: The competition was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the experience. It’s motivating to be surrounded by so many talented people in this field. Everyone that I competed with will also attend the Tulsa Welding School this year, so I’m ready to continue to learn from them as much as I can when school starts.
On his plans for the future: I’m completely ready and excited to go to Tulsa Welding School. At this point, I’m just counting down the days. It’s an eight-month program, so I’m excited to get there, learn as much as I can and then start my career. By next year, I should have a stable job. I want to find a company that will allow me to weld and travel the world at the same time. I’ve always wanted to see what’s out there – Europe, England, Japan and South Korea – and working as a welder could give me the opportunity to see the world and earn money at the same time.
On advice for current students: Don’t be afraid to try something new. Sure, you can read books, watch videos and talk to other people, but sometimes you have to do more than that. You have to get hands-on experience to know if you like it or not. Sometimes, you just have to put yourself out there and try something new.