Austin Bell of Kingman High School recently signed his letter of intent to play football at Friends University next year. But before leaving Kingman High School for Friends, Bell accomplished one of his goals by graduating from WSU Tech in Applied Science HVAC. Bell graduated from WSU Tech before graduating from Kingman thanks to his hard work and dedication to the program.
“I began my classes at WSU Tech in the fall of 2019. My parents encouraged me to attend WSU Tech, but it was also something I had anticipated doing for myself,” said Bell. “I am very proud because this is something very few people, especially people in high school, have accomplished. At the same time, I find it funny since it is normal for high school graduation to come before college graduation. I seemed to have done it backwards.”
WSU Tech Executive Director Andy McFayden said of Bell’s accomplishment, “Austin is such a positive role model. Increasing numbers of high school students are seeking early college opportunities. That may take the shape of an industry credential that leads to immediate career entry or earning transferable general education credit before heading to a university. WSU Tech is an affordable and valuable resource for students on any path.”
Bell has a plan for his future and what he learned at WSU Tech will serve as the foundation for a future business Bell plans to own and run himself.
“This is definitely the career I want to do in my adult years. Next year at Friends University, I will be studying Business Administration. There, I will be working towards my MBA (Master of Business administration). With the knowledge of what it takes to run a prosperous business that I will learn at Friends, I hope to one day open my own business “Bell Heating & Air Conditioning,” said Bell. “At WSU Tech, I enjoyed being around adults that were interested in my career field and building relationships with them as well as with my instructors. However, I mainly loved the classwork. I loved learning hands-on skills that can benefit me and my family and help us to save money. It was awesome to be able to come home from class every day and share with my family, teachers, and friends something new that I learned that day.”
Bell said he is taking advantage of the skills he learned at WSU Tech this summer while working for a local company to gain more experience before leaving for college.
“This summer I will be working for a local company, Eck Services. This will be my second summer working HVAC for them, and I am looking forward to continuing working and gaining experiences within my trade. To continue conditioning for football, I will be working out at Friends University as well as Kingman High School several days a week over the summer,” said Bell.
As a Kingman football player, Bell said he loved his team’s determination and what they showed on the field this year.
“We decided it was time to end Kingman’s seven-year streak of losing seasons and we undoubtedly made that happen going 6-2 in regular season play. Overall, the team had great chemistry this year and you knew that every down that your teammates were giving it everything they had. The thing I loved most about my coaches was how competitive they make practices and how hard they pushed us in summer weights and practice everyday everything and made sure we were held accountable for everything we did, the coaching staff was excellent,” said Bell. “The biggest influencers in my life are undoubtedly my parents. They have always been there for me and have always pushed me to do better and work harder. My parents are the hardest workers I know, and they have been great role models to look up to in life.”
