Lucas’s Commencement Moment: March–April HVAC Workshop Completion

💪 Dedication Beyond the Requirements

Everybody has a lot of things going on in their life. There’s no doubt about that.

The next individual has a lot going on in his life too — just like all of us. I wasn’t always confident at first… well, okay — I can’t lie. I was.

From day one, I saw a lot of focus, dedication, desire, and commitment — a real drive to provide and to excel in everything he did.

He was always early, never complained, and always did more than what was required. He even kind of pushed people out of the way just to get his job done — but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that… as long as it’s respectful.

And let’s be honest — he’s bigger than most of us, so he gets a pass.

Let’s take a look and see what he had to say.

All right. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. I’m looking forward to hearing what you guys said.

Yeah, I prepared something for you all, so I’m going to look at it — sorry.

First off, I just want to say how proud I am to be standing here today — not just for myself, but for each and every one of us in this room.

Completing this course is no small feat.
It’s fast, intense, and demands everything you’ve got — and we all gave it.

To my classmates — my brothers, my sisters, Miss Ryan — what a ride.

Ten of us walked in as strangers and are walking out as a team.
We laughed, we struggled, we pushed each other, and we grew together.

We built more than skills — we built a bond that’s going to stick with us wherever we go from here.

None of this would’ve been possible without the love and support of the people who stood behind us while we chased this goal.

For me, that starts with my parents — thank you so much for believing in me, even when I didn’t quite believe in myself.

To my wife Rachel — your patience, grace, and constant encouragement were my foundation through every hot day and every long night of studying.

And to my baby girl Luchia — every second I spent away from you was to build a better future for us. You are my why.

Thanks to this program, I think better. I wake up every day striving for more.
Thanks to the efforts of my wonderful instructors, I got confirmation that I’ll be starting Monday morning at a great family-owned company in my neighborhood.

Andrew, Robert, Slay, Chris — you guys kick Siri’s butt. Seriously.

Now, as we step into the next chapter, let’s remember: this isn’t the finish line — it’s the starting line.
The world needs skilled, motivated people like us.

Now that we have the knowledge and tools to rise, the next few years won’t be easy — but nothing worth having ever is.

We’ll face challenges.
We’ll keep learning.
And we’ll keep showing up — just like we did every day of this course.

Congratulations to all of us. We’ve earned this.