At Home in Berks April 2017 - 29

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My name is Wilfredo Isaiah Duran and I was born in
Bronx, New York and moved to Manhattan at 7 years old.
I lived most of my life in Manhattan, New York with my
mother, older brother, and younger sister until I was 13
years old. I always used to visit Pennsylvania because my
younger sister's grandmother lived in Pennsylvania and we
would come here for almost all of our breaks. My younger sister's grandma's house was the place we went to for
vacation and to get away from the city. When I was 13 years
old my mom decided to move to Pennsylvania. I was in 7th
grade then and it really had a big impact on my education.
Once we got here I lived with my younger sister's grandma
for all of 7th grade. After that year my mom got an apartment and wanted me to live with her. But I really liked my
younger sisters grandma's house. My younger sister's grandmother was basically my grandma; she treated me like I was
one of her grandsons and that really helped me, and meant
a lot to me.
In 8th grade, school was very hard for me because
I was always stressed. My mom and her boyfriend at the
time argued a lot and it really affected me and my younger
sister. Every time it got bad my sister's grandma would pick
us up and take us to her house. In 8th grade I learned how
to walk around Reading and go where ever I wanted. In
9th I started to skateboard and that was one of the reasons
I wanted to enroll in the Carpentry Program at Reading
Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center. I wanted to learn
how to make boards and ramps and more. In 10th grade
my grandma wanted me to enroll at the CTC but I didn't
know what it was until she explained it to me. After that
I made the decision to take the Carpentry class. I always
liked to make things and just was very interested in it. My
first year in Carpentry I lacked a lot of focus and I didn't
really realize how serious this trade was. Even though I
lacked focus my first year here I still learned a lot and had
a lot of really cool experiences. Our instructor Mr. Weber
is a great teacher. He can be tough on us some times but
it's only because he wants us to learn from our mistakes. I
learned a lot like measuring, hanging dry wall, sanding and
more.
It's been great here at the CTC and I can't wait to
learn more about Carpentry. I'm more than happy to be in
carpentry. It's a great life skill to have and I can use some
of these skills at my house already. Not only that but it will
definitely help my future. My point is that carpentry can
have a great impact on your life. Not only do I like it but my
family does as well. I'm really happy that I chose to become
a carpenter.

Hello, my name is Anthony Bobbitt. Before moving
to Reading, I lived in the Bronx, New York for fifteen years.
I have always had a connection with Reading, Pennsylvania
because my grandmother had a vacation home here that I
would always visit over the summer. Well, it is no longer a
vacation home because my family ended up moving here
and I do not regret the decision. Her house has changed
so much in the year and a half I have been here and the
person responsible for the changes is my grandfather. He
is a self-trained carpenter from Puerto Rico. When it was
a vacation home it looked very old-fashioned. Now all of
the floors are redone with American Cherry hardwood,
the kitchen has marble counter tops and new cabinets, the
basement got an additional bathroom, and he turned an
attic that was used for storage into 2 bedrooms. He really
motivated me to learn carpentry. If you look at a before and
after picture of it you wouldn't believe it is the same house.
Unfortunately I had a problem working with him, because
there was a language barrier; he only spoke Spanish and I
barely understood it. That is when I found out about Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center.
My first year at RMCTC was in fact challenging.
Most of the things I faced were new to me like operating electrical powered equipment, using hand tools, and
installing insulation and sheetrock. One of my favorite
learning experiences was working on a school building that
was made by the RMCTC students. The Carpentry class
made a wheelchair ramp and put insulation in the walls
and ceiling of the building. After that we hung sheetrock,
and taped and spackled it to finish the walls. With the skills
that I acquire from RMCTC I want to improve homes and
do DIY (do it yourself) home projects such as making my
own floating shelves, kitchen island, picture frames, my
own backyard shed, and much more. The point I want to
make clear is that I wouldn't be the same person I am today
if it wasn't for my family moving to Reading. I wouldn't
have been interested in carpentry because I wouldn't have
seen the improvements in my grandmother's house and I
wouldn't have learned about this amazing school that offers
opportunities for kids to learn about jobs in the trade.
~ Anthony Bobbitt
Continued on page 30

~ Wilfredo Duran

April 2017 AT HOME IN BERKs

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