“The first time I took a lawn mower apart I was nine years old,” says BCSS grad Justin Patterson. As a bonus for all concerned, when he put it back together it worked too!
According to his exit interview file he surprised many when he began fixing the bicycles and lawn mowers he was given to tinker with.
Pretty soon the neighbourhood kids started to bring their bikes to him when they needed to be repaired.
Justin came to the Boundary from Nanaimo three years ago. He says he liked the change. “It is way easier at this school, and I have way more friends.”
He’s already got a job lined up after graduation working in the logging industry up near Beaverdell.
Over the next couple of years Justin would like to pursue post secondary education in mechanics. He plans to go to Okanagan College for Heavy Duty Mechanics.
But for this year, since he has a job already lined up, he’ll work for now.
For hobbies Justin lists mechanics, skateboarding, dogs and cats, swimming, skiing and snowboarding. “Skateboarding every day, an hour a day at least,” he insists.
He says that graduating is awesome. “It feels like I have grown up.”
In five years he sees himself working up north on the rigs for big cash – in heavy-duty mechanics or pipefitting.
He sounds like a handy kind of guy to have around when something needs fixed, that’s for sure!