It is common many Morgan students go to college after their senior year, but there are other paths students take. Such as Luke Powell, who graduated last year (2024) and pursued another path other than college.
Walking out of high school, Powell got a job with the Gillett Castle as part of the maintenance department, which is within the State of Connecticut.
At Gillett Castle, Powell is responsible for keeping the site clean, landscaping, and making sure that all flyers or information at the park are put up and taken down seasonally.
“It’s been a great time,” Powell said. “[His] favorite part of working there has been the people [he] works with.” Many of his co-workers are older than him. Because of this, Powell has looked up to them, trying to gain knowledge about work and life in general since they have had more experiences. “It’s a great group of guys,” Powell said.
Powell looked back on his time at and said it was fantastic. “Morgan did a lot of good things for me,” Powell noted. Powell added Mr. Carroll, who taught him his senior year in English had a profound effect on him. Powell felt like he was always able to talk to him about things on his mind. “It was always chill with him.” He liked the comedic banter they had in class. “I would always talk trash to him about the student teacher basketball game (known as Swoosh for Change),” Powell remembered.
An important part of his time at Morgan was the baseball team that he was a part of for three seasons. During his three years, Powell pitched, and played right field for the Huskies.
In the future, Powell would like to have the opportunity to fly helicopters. Flying helicopters has always been a dream of Powell’s. As he started working for the state, he has developed new skills that he will then take on in his later life.
Sophomore Benji Brown went to school with Powell his freshman year. Brown remembers him kindly. “He helped me get more comfortable within the school. He would also get me involved with sports games and the student section.” Brown and Powell played baseball on the school team together and he appreciated his positive attitude. “He really lighted up the team.”
At Gillette Castle, Powell makes around $1,000 dollars bi-weekly. Powell stated, “It’s good for a job right out of high school.” Many kids who go to college have a mass amount of student debt, but by doing what Powell did, you can start earning money right away.
There are different career paths for everyone, Powell argues, you have to decide which one is the best option for you.
