Youth Apprentice – Lucas

Student credits apprenticeship for career motivation.

A headshot of Lucas, a biotechnology Youth Apprenticeship graduate.Lucas completed a one-year Biotechnology Youth Apprenticeship in 2019 through the Jefferson County School to Career Consortium. Under the program, he worked at Ganser Scientific where he assisted with lab equipment, sales and protein chemistry.

“I always had an interest in biotechnology. I enjoyed my coursework in biology all throughout high school but I knew I didn’t really want to work in medicine. So I thought that [my Youth Apprenticeship] would be a great opportunity to explore that a little bit more outside of just what my high school could offer me.”

Lucas graduated from Jefferson County High School in 2019 and continued on to study microbiology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. To compliment his education, Lucas is also working as an Undergraduate Researcher at Gilroy Labs.

While he always planned to attend a four-year university, Lucas was able to narrow down his career pathway options under the life sciences field to biotechnology, thanks to his apprenticeship.

“Everything that I do now is very related to what I learned, what I accomplished, what I did during my time in the [apprenticeship] program.”

Lucas credits his apprenticeship and the support of his mentor for inspiring confidence in him and pushing him to pursue a biotechnology career.

“I think that my experience was so positive, having mentors who were so ready and willing and capable to teach me what I needed to know […] to make sure I had all the information I would need, that I don’t [think] there’s a thing I would change. I loved every part of the experience and it’s paid back in dividends as I’ve continued on in my path.”

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