Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Cudahy High School (CHS) graduate Kody Adams has always known he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a firefighter, and that might have been where this story ended: Plan A. Even the best laid plans, though, can get derailed because of competition for jobs, unexpected illness, or many other reasons. So Adams took full advantage of the opportunities at CHS to create a Plan B and even a Plan C.
Given his passion for firefighting, he took as many medical-related courses as he could at CHS, including medical terminology, and prevention, care, and lifesaving. During his senior year, he was selected to participate in the Firefighting Community Action Program (FF-CAP), which influenced him a lot.
“It’s been a real experience, that’s for sure!” says Adams. “You get to see everything first-hand, things a person wouldn’t get to normally see.” The amount of trust and respect he has been given throughout the community during house calls, EMS responses, and fire emergencies made a big impression.
Adams was also working toward his EMT certification when the pandemic hit and earned five college credits through MATC’s Start College Now program. So he’s well on his Plan A way.
But he has also participated in a variety of career-based learning experiences that prepare him for whatever the future may bring. Adams has taken all of the culinary arts courses at CHS and has been a valued member of their award-winning Prostart Team. He has also developed skills in welding and manufacturing by working his way up the sequence of courses to Metals IV.
As part of CHS’s academic and career planning (ACP) process, students participate in junior ACP conferences and senior check-ins with their school counselors. Adams was an active participant in planning his future and appreciated the one-on-one time to make sure he was on track to meet his goals. He asked questions and reached out to his school counselor and teachers for help when he needed it.
This fall, Adams will follow his career pathway into MATC to earn a degree in fire safety. In other words, he’s taking the next step on his Plan A goal: Become a Cudahy firefighter. But, just in case, he has the makings for Plans B or C because you just never know.
Those instrumental in Kody's success include Dawn Baldwin, culinary arts teacher; Tom Backes, metals teacher; Becky Bryant, school counselor; and Sgt. Aaron Bixby along with the Cudahy Fire Department staff and crew.