17-year-old becomes vet tech and has welding skills
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IDAHO FALLS —- Megan Moedl graduated from Technical Careers High School in May and already has a job in place involving animals, and has also gained skills in welding.
The 17 year old studied in the welding program at school. She also took several classes in automotive, auto body and construction.
For a while, Megan said, she wanted to go into welding and take that career path. Her biggest motivation was how much money people can make in that career.
“It caught my interest. I don’t know if it’s just the class and being in there and being with everyone and having an amazing teacher and there is just always something new to learn and you can create cool things,” she said.
She’s earned certifications for welding. She’s built all sorts of things in her class at school.
“We’ve built picnic tables for Rimrock Elementary. We made three of them. Our class made a flatbed … trailer and a cattle load chute,” she said. “I made a bouquet of roses for our history teacher, for his wife.”
However, she loves animals. She’s been working at Willowcreek Animal Hospital, doing what she’s wanted: being a vet tech.
“I tried getting a vet tech job, and I found this clinic and I started cleaning stalls and I’ve worked my way up,” Megan said. “When I was little, I always wanted to work with animals.”
At home, Megan has a mini farm. She has two goats, two dogs and two horses. Last year, she had 26 head of cows.
“We’ve had cows for a while,” Megan explained. “We get them during the summer time and my grandpa just likes to have them because he grew up having them, and so I got into that and kind of started getting into the cattle business. I just buy them during the summer time and sell them in the fall.”
Megan stays busy, too. During the summer, she works and mows lawns on top of other jobs.
As she reflects through her high school years, she says she is very grateful for the experiences she’s had at Technical Careers High School and appreciated the small school atmosphere.
“I wouldn’t have graduated if it wasn’t for this school. This school, for sure, is the best thing for some kids,” Megan said. “It’s a privilege to be here. It’s so small that everyone is so close and the teachers have more time. You can graduate high school and have a career to go into and be successful, just off of your high school diploma and the certifications you get from here.”