2016 Essay Competition - View all entries

Uncle Adam

Jerrilyn King - Ohsweken, ON, Canada

The factors for why I choose trades were because of a simple reason. I wanted to honor my Uncle Adam who was an Iron Worker and his union. My uncle worked in Union Local 736 where he had all his tickets and also won the Provincial Ontario Awards. My Uncle Adam was not just an uncle to me but was also my best friend, my teacher, my brother, and he was a father to me. I want to honor my Uncle Adam because I want to give thanks to all his teachings that my Uncle Adam has given me before my uncle passed away. When I was younger, in my teen’s years, I got to experience taking trades while I was trying to get my high school credits through a program that was called S.W.A.C. which is called School within a College that is program that runs through Hagersville Secondary High School.

When I was taking the trades program at OSTTC at Grand River Employment and Training located on Six Nations, I was happy to be given a chance to experience something that is a different pace for myself and that I got to experience this while I was getting my high school credits at that time. I found that I really liked what I got to experience through the trade Programs that I was allowed to participated in, and to give me the experience and knowledge for more decisions in my life to choose from, in what I would want for a career path. I find that when I took the trade classes that it was different from in-class learning, because in trades we got to have a hands-on learning experience on how to handle the tools that we were working with and what were the safety gear that we had to wear while we were in the trade courses.

I truly understand what my Uncle Adam had to go through when working in the many different trades to get his tickets so that my uncle Adam could become an Iron Worker. I hope in that when I have the same chance to further my knowledge in getting towards my career path that I too have the same experience and knowledge that my Uncle Adam had and one day follow the path in working in the same Union Local 736. I hope in the meantime I can gain further knowledge on the material that I will need to know and the experience to guide me through each lesson and take the notes to help me in success and to also help me in knowing the correct ways on handling the machinery where it is needed.

The reason as to why I have chosen this is because I want to honor my Uncle Adam and because I too want to further my knowledge in trades and to help my family and community when they need help with building a storage for their lawnmowers, rakes, shovel for their garden or snow. I want to at least have the experience and knowledge to help me know what I will need for the future.