This is a small sampling of narratives from the MT-10 cohort entering Fall 2020.
This is an audio collage of some of our MT-10 students’ experiences.
Work Ethic
“To [my parents], the most important thing was work ethic. As long as you were willing to work, you would fit in anywhere, and to an extent, that’s true, but what I now realize is that they were referring to the opportunities available to them…entry-level positions. I’ve thrived in all the entry-level positions I’ve had, but I can’t move past that because of my lack of education.”
“....My only advice at this point is: take it slow. It’ll go by fast anyway.”
Better
“With life and everything…I knew I needed to better myself, and so back in June, I was talking to my parents, and I was like, well, I want to further my education because I don’t want to always work a minimum wage job doing something I really don’t enjoy.”
“It’s kind of surreal graduating. You know, I’m first generation in my family. Nobody else has ever graduated, so that’s kind of a whirlwind of emotions. And it’s kind of hard balancing that… Graduating is literally a whole new world.”
“I feel like I got pretty lucky… I still look back and think like, I could’ve been in jail, could’ve died, could’ve had a lot different outcome, so I’m really grateful it didn’t go that way, and it actually ended up working out really well for me.”
Work
“I’ve done auto mechanics for thirteen years. I’d always worked on my own stuff—and I liked doing it—so I just kind of fell into working at a shop. They taught me all the stuff I needed to know, and I’d just been there ever since.”
Sadly, Tracy passed away on March 24, 2022, a victim of accidental overdose. He was five weeks away from completing his degree, and he is deeply missed. His obituary can be found here. Below, is a short collection of audio remembrances from two of his classmates.
Staying Busy
“My first pregnancy, I did everything. I never stopped. I kept riding. I kept logging. I never sat still. The day before I had [my daughter], I went and cut 16 cord of fire wood, then went to my flag practice for the Stampede, and went into labor at 3:00 in the morning.”