Graduate Spotlight: Vaughn James, EO

When Vaughn James landed a job at Ellwood Mill Products through LCCTC’s Co-Op Program, he was pretty excited. He enjoyed his work and appreciated the opportunity of having a great job like this — especially as a high school student. Just recently, he has begun a new job at Inmetco and, having graduated in June 2019, is doing pretty well for himself these days. In fact, he’s making over $20 an hour and has just purchased his first home!

Because of the training that career and technical education can provide, James realizes the advantage having a hands-on experience and background in a field like industrial electricity can have.

“I’m pretty proud of what LCCTC and my Electrical Occupations teacher, Mr Montini, helped me accomplish.” James states. “In my shop, there was zero tolerance when it came to laziness or lack of motivation, and this really helped me develop the solid work ethic I needed to succeed, no matter the industry.”

James continues, “Mr. Montini encouraged creative thinking and consistently pressed us to do better. He does a great job at recreating the environment that can typically be found in any place of work — especially for those who don’t mind putting a good day’s work.”

Making sure he took every opportunity to be job-ready, James was also an active member of SkillsUSA, an organization that brings together students, teachers & industry to ensure that America has a skilled workforce. “Being a part of SkillsUSA was more than an attempt to make my resume look great. SkillsUSA helped me work better on a team, kept me on my toes, and made me constantly try to better myself through competition.”

Congratulations on your successes, Vaughn James. You have made us proud.