CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the U.S. economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, high school graduates will soon start contributing to the labor force in the coming months.
Some graduates will take summer jobs on and near college campuses while others head immediately into their careers. One Charlotte graduate already has a clear vision of how he'll contribute to his community.
Michael Martinez-Cruz was always inspired by the father figure in his life.
"He was a sheriff's deputy," Martinez-Cruz said. "I wanted to get into law enforcement."
But as it happens sometimes, the teen realized law enforcement wasn't for him. But he still wanted to make a difference, so he looked into firefighting, which always interested him. He soon found the public safety academy at his alma mater, Hawthorne Academy of Heath Sciences High School.
"With the hands-on training we had there, it actually slipped over into the state certification," he said. "So I was able to get half of my classes here, and then pursue the rest of my classes at Gaston College over the summer."
Martinez-Cruz represents the change of more and more students choosing community college over a traditional four-year school. Numbers from the Department of Education show there are more than 1 million people with student loan debt in North Carolina alone. The average student has $37,721 in debt.
Michael will graduate debt-free in July while staying closer to home. This has allowed him to log hours as a volunteer firefighter at the Wesley Chapel Fire Department.
"I love walking in there every day," he said. "Everybody's happy to be there. Everybody has a smile on their face."
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The teen represents a vital group of leaders in the workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, recent graduates who go to college and those who don't have some share in the labor market. Last year, 31% of recent high school graduates who enrolled in college had a job or were looking for one.
And 69% of those who didn't go to college at all all had a job or were actively seeking employment.
Taking a path not all students take after graduation led Martinez-Cruz to his passion. He plans to apply for the Charlotte Fire Department's training academy this fall.
"I was always brought up hands-on. I'm always a go-getter," he said. "You know, if I can change somebody's life today and have a better life tomorrow, I think it'd be great."
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.