Recent Sequoyah High School grad Michael York hasn’t had it easy.
While working his way through the welding program at Sequoyah his junior and senior years, he had to work through something much harder with his family: homelessness.
His mother, who he said couldn’t work due to a disability, told him she wanted him to finish school. But when the bills continued, they couldn’t keep their house. They were welcomed by their small Soddy-Daisy church, where they stayed for over a year.
It’s an experience he won’t soon forget.
“It was hard to watch her go through all that,” York said of his mother. “We were in a situation that took a toll on everyone. It made me realize I needed to do something different to make my life that much better, so when I got into the workforce, we’d never have to go through that again.”