Feelings… nothing more than—oh, rock crowd, guitar!
But when I was in college, you know, I had to do what I had to do — and that was not one of them. I’m not a singer.

My name is Danny, and it’s an honor and a privilege to have everybody here.
I really, really enjoyed this — this program, this class. Everybody worked together. It was amazing.

🤝 From Strangers to Friends

From day one, little islands… and then as the weeks progressed, it became a relationship. It became a friendship — to the point where, heck, let’s play some dominoes together.

That’s important.
And that’s really what my goal is.

📚 What This Program Is Really About

A couple of goals, really: to get each individual involved with HVAC, to learn HVAC, and to learn about themselves.

From 9:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the afternoon — or 10:00 in the morning-ish — I typically take over the class.
And that’s what I talk about: personal development, self-worth, affirmations.

We talk a lot about Mrs. Smith — and I don’t know if anybody’s ever heard of Mrs. Smith — but we talked a lot about her.

💡 Building Confidence & Commitment

One of the things that I talked about, at least in the class, is building each individual’s level of self-worth and commitment.

As we all know — and I express this to each person — success is not a gift given.
Success is not a gift given.
You have to earn success. You learn success.
And the choices that you make determine how far you’re going to go.

There is no shortcut.

🌟 A Class That Stood Out

The individuals, for the vast part, were always committed, always dedicated — and that’s what makes this class more special than any of the other classes I’ve had.

And for that reason, I would like to ask Elaine to come up here and say a couple of words in the microphone.

🧑‍🍳 Elaine’s Words of Appreciation

I’m not going to come up there, but I will say this — I really, really, really respect everyone.

The students we had for six weeks — they were truly the best.
They respected my property.
They respected our instructors.
They were careful with my kitchen — which is a very important clean break — and they showed that they really wanted to be here.

Thank you.
[Music] [Applause]

🔧 A Team Member You May Not See

Elaine is an integral part of this program, and she doesn’t get much recognition — because she’s not always seen.
She’s always in the back.

Trust me when I say — she’s heard, even from the back.
Um… so I guess you can hear me here, too. Okay.

💬 Why This Program is Life-Changing

One of the things about this program that really makes it different — and makes it life-changing — is we offer individuals the chance to learn about themselves.

HVAC in and of itself is just an industry. It’s just a job.
It’s a very successful and — it could be — a very fruitful form of employment.

But if you don’t learn about yourself…
about the four C’s — clarity, choice, confidence, and competence —
that’s going to go with you forever.

Not just in HVAC,
but in everything that we do — to develop that attitude and that…

🎤 Opening Words & Warm Welcome

Feelings… nothing more than—oh, rock crowd, guitar!
But when I was in college, you know, I had to do what I had to do — and that was not one of them. I’m not a singer.

My name is Danny, and it’s an honor and a privilege to have everybody here.
I really, really enjoyed this — this program, this class. Everybody worked together. It was amazing.

🤝 From Strangers to Friends

From day one, little islands… and then as the weeks progressed, it became a relationship. It became a friendship — to the point where, heck, let’s play some dominoes together.

That’s important.
And that’s really what my goal is.

📚 What This Program Is Really About

A couple of goals, really: to get each individual involved with HVAC, to learn HVAC, and to learn about themselves.

From 9:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the afternoon — or 10:00 in the morning-ish — I typically take over the class.
And that’s what I talk about: personal development, self-worth, affirmations.

We talk a lot about Mrs. Smith — and I don’t know if anybody’s ever heard of Mrs. Smith — but we talked a lot about her.

💡 Building Confidence & Commitment

One of the things that I talked about, at least in the class, is building each individual’s level of self-worth and commitment.

As we all know — and I express this to each person — success is not a gift given.
Success is not a gift given.
You have to earn success. You learn success.
And the choices that you make determine how far you’re going to go.

There is no shortcut.

🌟 A Class That Stood Out

The individuals, for the vast part, were always committed, always dedicated — and that’s what makes this class more special than any of the other classes I’ve had.

And for that reason, I would like to ask Elaine to come up here and say a couple of words in the microphone.

🧑‍🍳 Elaine’s Words of Appreciation

I’m not going to come up there, but I will say this — I really, really, really respect everyone.

The students we had for six weeks — they were truly the best.
They respected my property.
They respected our instructors.
They were careful with my kitchen — which is a very important clean break — and they showed that they really wanted to be here.

Thank you.
[Music] [Applause]

🔧 A Team Member You May Not See

Elaine is an integral part of this program, and she doesn’t get much recognition — because she’s not always seen.
She’s always in the back.

Trust me when I say — she’s heard, even from the back.
Um… so I guess you can hear me here, too. Okay.

💬 Why This Program is Life-Changing

One of the things about this program that really makes it different — and makes it life-changing — is we offer individuals the chance to learn about themselves.

HVAC in and of itself is just an industry. It’s just a job.
It’s a very successful and — it could be — a very fruitful form of employment.

But if you don’t learn about yourself…
about the four C’s — clarity, choice, confidence, and competence —
that’s going to go with you forever.

Not just in HVAC,
but in everything that we do — to develop that attitude and that…

 

Staying Real About HVAC

[Applause]

It’s definitely not easy being an HVAC technician. You’re going to face some difficult roads. You might not get your first job right away. Sometimes, it takes several interviews.

You know how many companies I called? That’s one thing I forgot to mention.

Calling 72 Companies

I called 72 companies.

This was during the slow season — around November — and that’s a time when big HVAC companies tend to lay people off. The good companies? They keep their employees even through the slow times. That says a lot.

So yeah — I called over 72 places. I’ll never forget that. Either they didn’t pick up, or they told me no. And having a record definitely played a role.

There was one company that looked promising, but here’s the thing — I was only calling companies that had three key traits:

1. They were professional.
2. They ran their business the right way — with integrity, not trying to scam clients.
3. They focused on growing and developing their technicians.

If a company didn’t meet those standards, I didn’t call them. I did thorough research — looking on Google, calling around — to find the right places. These 72 companies weren’t random — they were carefully chosen, and still, I got no response from most of them.

The Message: Be Persistent

So what’s the point? Be persistent.

Now, it’s summer season, and a lot of companies are hiring. But you still have to be mindful of who you work for.

If you want to cut corners and scam people — that’s your call. But if you want to do good work, grow in the trade, and become the best tech you can be, do your research. Choose your employer with the same level of scrutiny you’d want someone to use when choosing a tech to enter their home.

Perseverance and Attitude Matter

Perseverance is key — but so is attitude.

As G was saying earlier, it’s about treating the resident with respect, doing a thorough job, and doing the right job. When you do that, great things follow.

You’ll get trusted to go out on a van, handle service calls on your own — and that’s a big deal. That kind of trust? That’s kudos. That’s growth.

So congratulations — seriously. On a personal and professional level, you deserve it. I’m proud of you.

Confidence and Challenge Go Hand in Hand

No matter who you are, no matter your background — it’s always going to be a challenge. Always.

That said, I like to give each person a chance to come up and say a few words.

Some of you may know this — or maybe not — but we do videos in here. There are a couple of reasons for that:

One, it helps increase our visibility online. But more importantly, it builds your confidence. That’s something special — being able to show people, wherever they are, what you’re learning and doing.

And that’s pretty cool.

So with that, I’m going to take this down for just a second.

 

Acknowledging the Class

It is impressive — the level of progress that everyone has made. And it reminds me of just a couple of terms ago, we had a young individual come in here who had absolutely no sense of HVAC. I hate to say it, but he was a little bit lost in life.

And I like to think that we were part of that transition — just like we’re part of all of y’all’s transition — to make life so much better.

Introducing a Former Student

With that, I want to introduce a young gentleman who was here a couple of terms ago. He’s going to say a couple of words — hopefully not more than what, say, Peter would say. (Sometimes I say things out loud that I shouldn’t. Geez.)

All right — come on up here.

 

G’s Return to Speak

Thank you. I see you, too. Here you go — you’ve got to use this. Y’all can hear me in the background? No? You’ve got to use this because of the microphone. Look. Sorry. There you go.

So yeah, I didn’t know we were doing this — I thought it was going to be at the end!

My name is G. I was in this class back in October and November. I graduated on November 22nd, 2024.

Why I’m Here

Pretty much, I’m here to express my gratitude toward the staff here at Second Chance University and HVAC Technical Academy — Danny, Andrew, Robert (is he here?), Chris, and everybody else who played a part.

What I Thought in the Beginning

To some of you just starting out — if you were thinking like me — you may have thought this was a small class, a small school, and maybe not the “real deal” compared to major schools. But I’m here to tell you that the value you get from this school is tremendous.

Putting It Into Practice

I took the knowledge and applied it in real life. I’ve been in HVAC since January 3rd. I work for a company in Orlando, Florida.

My manager told me, “You know more than any other first-time employee we’ve hired straight out of school.” That just goes to show the value we get here — this school is very hands-on, and what you learn is immediately applicable.

Full-Time in My Own Van

After just two and a half months, I was placed in my own van, running service calls by myself. Unless there’s an install, I’ll usually work solo — or sometimes with a helper and senior tech.

This isn’t just from the classroom. I’ve continued to educate myself — and you will need to do the same if you want to take this career seriously. There are books, YouTube videos, live events — keep learning.

My Background — Why This Matters

I want to share a bit about my background. This is Second Chance University — and it’s named that for a reason.

I have a checkered past. I did four years in prison and got out on July 29, 2024. I’m currently on house arrest. And yet — I’m in HVAC. I made it.

It’s not something I celebrate, but I share it to say: You can do it, too. No matter your past or current struggles — if you want something, you can go get it.

More Than a Career

This school doesn’t just teach HVAC — it instills moral principles and values you can build on to become the best version of yourself.

Whether you want HVAC as a lifelong career or just a stepping stone, this is a solid foundation. There are so many opportunities that can come from this.

Thank You and A Quick Story

Thank you to Andrew, Elaine, Danny, Robert, Chris, and the whole team at Tropical Air. I also want to congratulate all of you students on completing this course.

Now, quick story — when I found out about the school, I called Danny right away and said, “I want to join.” He said they already had nine students, and someone else was being considered for the tenth spot.

I told him, “Danny, I’m going to be that tenth person.”

At that time, I was just some random guy on the phone — but I knew I was going to make it happen.

Funding and Determination

I got funded through CareerSource, and I’m grateful to them for expediting the process. It usually takes three weeks — but I needed an answer by the next day to get into the school. They helped make it happen.

Where You’re Headed

Did you guys get your EPA results yet? Not yet? You confident? Not confident? (I’m just messing with you. It’s all good.)

What you’re doing now — this is just the start. I instill this in you because this can be you.

Lessons That Last

One of the biggest lessons Andrew taught me was to be thorough and do things the right way.

At work, even when I’m told to hurry or cut corners, I stick to what I learned here. I take pride in my work — and it shows. I get great feedback from clients who call the company just to praise what I’ve done.

My managers recently had a review with me. They told me, “People love the way you explain things. They appreciate how professional and thorough you are.”

That’s a direct result of what I learned here — especially from Andrew.

Final Words

Be thorough. Do it the right way. Keep educating yourself. Whatever this path leads to — I wish you the best.

Congratulations again for completing the course.
Thank you.