Personal Narrative: I Am A Female Welder

Let me first start off by introducing myself, I am
Kourtney Bainter, I am 24 and am a female welder that continuously surprises those around me, However; this would be far more impressive if I wasnt surpriseing myself in the same moment. welding isint just a passion for me- its really a way of life that I did not choose for myself, this passion chose me. When I was 14 my father pulled me and my older two brothers from school and put us on his paving crew- child labor right you think? no! I loved it! never in my life had i ever felt so empowered and in control than i did when i was shoveling asphalt. the reward of this hard work was not money but the knowledge of knowing that i was helping to support my family, also being a 14 year old female that could out shovel her two older brothers was an impressive perk! i was the only female on the team and the youngest to boot. hard labor encouraged me to branch out and finish my education. i then went to tongue point astoria jobcore where i completed my g.e.d and high school deploma and then became a certified carpenter and welder. While at job core i also earned the BOOT award (Better Occupational Oppurtunities for Trades women) and had an article in the local
I am now proudly attending Mt. Hood community college to get my associates in welding so i can continue my career passion, I am not going to say I'm bound for greatness for fear of karma but when i look back on past occurances I can clearly see that I