September 17, 2026
S.F. was 17 when he took the Future Plans assessment as a senior without a plan. After graduating from Lakeside High School, he was where a lot of young adults find themselves—still figuring out what came next. His assessment and coaching pointed him toward welding, and he followed that thread into the GRIT welding bootcamp and, from there, into the Welding Academy.
Partway through the academy, S.F. lost his mother. It was an incredibly difficult stretch, made harder by the fact that he was still trying to keep up with training and work at the same time. Most people would have needed to step back. S.F. kept showing up. He finished the bootcamp and earned his certifications anyway.
That work ethic never let up. At times, S.F. has held down two and three jobs at once. Right now, he works third shift at a factory and still makes it to A-Tech three days a week. Most recently, he was hired through Infinity to work at the Ashtabula Technical and Career Center, supporting the Youth Opportunities program as a Peer Navigator. In that role, he mentors students directly, offering guidance, encouragement, and leadership through the Mentorship & Leadership Program.
S.F. is now in a position to give other young people the same support that once helped him find his own way—proof that even in the hardest moments, showing up can change the direction of a life, and eventually, someone else’s too.
