A: I wanted to go to GNB Voc-Tech to gain a skill while in high school that could help me gain employment straight out of high school. Growing up in a lower-income home, I was very cognizant at an early age that I wanted to change that cycle in my family and knew I needed skills to do so.

A: I remember seeing the possibilities of my abilities due to the opportunities that a vocational school offers. SkillsUSA was a huge part of my time at GNB Voc-Tech during my junior and senior years. In my junior year, I placed 2nd in states and that achievement really pushed me to dig into my education going into my senior year. This resulted in doing well with my SATs and getting great scholarships going into college.

I was involved with SkillsUSA and the National Honor society during the second half of my time at GNB Voc-Tech. My senior year I was the President of the National Honor Society and Vice-President of SkillsUSA.

A: GNB Voc-Tech was an amazing school to attend as a teenager. I lost my father at 16, and that dark time in my life almost derailed me from my goals of gaining skills for employment after high school. The staff and classmates really came alongside me and helped me through those moments, pushed me to graduate in the top of my class, and having accomplished all that I did while attending.

A: After graduation, I went to school at UMass Dartmouth to study in their Computer Science program. After only a year and a half in the program, I realized I didn’t want to pursue IT anymore and decided to take a few years off from college to figure out what I really wanted to do.

A: My career path has been an interesting one. I worked in the IT field for a bit in my 20’s while I went back to school for graphic and web design. Upon graduating, I had a few jobs designing while pursuing my true passion, photography. I ended up gaining a role doing product photography for Franklin Sports and that was the final position I had for a company before leaving to pursue my wedding photography business full-time.

A: My current position is the head photographer of Colton Simmons Photography, where I photograph weddings across the country and the world. On a day to day I am working on marketing strategies, having sales calls with potential clients, as well as working with current clients in preparing for their weddings. During peak wedding season I spend my weekends photographing weddings, and the other days editing the galleries for the clients. My experience in the IT shop has helped me manage my own websites and gave me foundational experience using the Adobe Suite. I also got experience with photography, working on capturing photos for the school website.