High school students have a lot of decisions to make as they get closer to graduation. Among those is what are you going to do after you are done with high school. There are a number of different options including attending college, going straight into the workforce, or entering the military. Jesse Woodward, who is a senior at Ketchum High School, has an idea of what he wants to do with his future, but he also knows that you have to be able to bring in money too.

“For my career, I would either like to get into professional fishing or have an outdoor ecosystems career,” Jesse stated. “I am taking the Welding & Metal Fabrication Program at the Afton Campus of Northeast Tech. I am taking that because it is a good option to make money after you graduate.”

Woodward says that he first heard about Northeast Tech from his high school, and he was familiar with welding, so he jumped on the opportunity.

“My counselor at Ketchum mentioned it to me and asked if I was interested,” he said. “My dad was a welder, and I knew a little bit about it, and I knew that it paid well, so I decided to go for it.”

As a student at Ketchum, Jesse is a member of the fishing team. He says that while fishing is fun and he enjoys it, you also have to prepare yourself for competition.

“It is more than just showing up and fishing,” he said. “You have to do a lot of preparation ahead of time. You have to know what they are biting on, find the best spot to fish and stuff like that.”

Woodward has had some great moments with his teammates, but he says that there is one moment that he considers his favorite. 

“Our fishing team won a tournament in Texoma,” he stated. “It was a great win and we all enjoyed being a part of it.”

The biggest role model for Jesse is someone he is close to and had learned a lot from.

“My dad is a big influence on my life,” he said. “He was the one who brought me into fishing and pushes me to be the best.”