I read an article recently that was written by a pretty famous football coach. He is also a football coach for my favorite team and the team many of you refer to as "that team up north". Now before you quit reading this blog, please stay with me. The article is written by Jim Harbaugh, now coach of The University of Michigan and former San Francisco Forty Niners. Coach Harbaugh has a slogan that he uses around the players, media, fans and just about anywhere you look. This slogan goes back to his days growing up in Ann Arbor when his dad coached with Bo Schembechler. Their family didn't have a whole lot of money (coaches were not paid nearly what they get today) and didn't own a vehicle. The local car dealers would let the coaches use any extra dealer cars that they had. The Harbaugh's ended up with one vehicle to use between mom and dad. Jim mentioned that if mom had the car for the day, dad would say "grab a basketball boys, we are walking to school today". Dad would have them dribble right handed and then left handed all the way to school and while they were doing this, dad would say "Who has it better than us?" and they would answer "No - body". This just stuck in Jim's head and he thought of it often. He later realized that a lot of people maybe had it better than his family but he thought "maybe having an exciting childhood in a loving home is as good as it gets. So how could anyone have it any better."I couldn't help but think of our students and their relationship to Vantage Career Center. Our students come from various backgrounds and family situations. They have all attended various high schools in their past. They come from different economic and social conditions. However, they come to Vantage to make a difference in their life. They see that they can develop a skill that will jump start their career and get them on their way to a fulfilling life. They truly become like family with many of their classmates, especially the ones they share lab with. From talking with so many of our alumni over the years, I couldn't help but hear them say "Who has it better than us?".
When you take a look at our new facility here and all the equipment that we house, it is absolutely amazing. We have so many CNC machines that are state of the art, Brand new Robotic equipment, first class computers throughout the school, the latest up to date equipment in every lab and a culinary arts kitchen that is second to none. There is not a single lab that you can walk into and not be impressed. I believe we have one of the finest, most qualified and compassionate staff in the entire area. "Who has it better than us?".
I went home this past weekend to visit my sister up in Utica, Michigan. She has seen the videos of our facility and all our labs. She just shakes her head and wonders how many students in her area would benefit by having a career school like ours in their area. She only knew of one in a 50 mile radius and that was Cass Tech in Detroit. She can't believe that all the states aren't doing something like we have here in Ohio. She is convinced it could be a life saver for so many students and a great way for our students to earn a lot of money in the future. "Who has it better than us?".
Well I hope you will take some time and stop by our school on February 22nd from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm for our Open House. Yes we are celebrating 40 years but we are also celebrating the achievements of so many of our graduates. I hope as you walk around the building and explore the labs, you will say to yourself, "Wow, who has it better than these students?" and we will proudly answer... No - body!!!P.S. If you care to read the article by Coach Harbaugh, click here.
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