Lukas Larson grew up watching his grandfather and father use a welder to make repairs on farm machinery and semi-trucks and always enjoyed using his hands to build and fix things. As a student at Waukon High School, Larson decided to get a head start and put those skills to the test.
He completed a career pathway certificate from Northeast Iowa Community College’s (NICC) Welding program, and is now qualified for employment in advanced manufacturing. He accomplished all of this during his junior year.
In 2016, Larson enrolled in the Northeast Iowa Career Learning Link program, which assists high school juniors and seniors in northeast Iowa in the development of career goals.
“Northeast Iowa Community College is so close to my high school that I took advantage of the opportunity right away,” said Larson, who also took several concurrent enrollment courses to earn college credit.