Dylan Boston, a CIRI descendant, is building his career from the ground up, literally. With encouragement from his family and a Career Technical Education scholarship from The CIRI Foundation, he enrolled in AVTEC’s Plumbing & Heating program, gaining hands-on experience and job-ready skills. Dylan is one of many TCF recipients pursuing meaningful careers in the trades with grit, determination, and a clear vision for the future.

Finding His Fit in the Trades

Dylan’s path didn’t begin with plumbing. While working as a drainage technician, he discovered a knack for solving problems in the field. His first attempt at formal training didn’t go as planned, but he didn’t give up. Backed by TCF’s support, he joined the job-focused AVTEC program in Seward, where real-world tools, teamwork, and persistence helped him take the next step in building his future.

“Plumbing and heating was a really fun program,” Dylan shares. “My instructor, Rob Faulkner, was great, he knew so much and helped us really understand the work. The training facility made it all click.”

At AVTEC, Dylan and his classmates trained using tiny homes, portable structures where they laid out, cut, and graded real plumbing systems. It wasn’t just about technical training, it was about problem-solving, teamwork, and gaining confidence on the job.

“I helped mostly with the bathroom piping and drainage into the sewage system,” he says. “We had to figure it out as a team. That was my favorite part.”

A Foundation for Success

Dylan first heard about The CIRI Foundation from his grandmother. In high school, he joined CIRI’s internship program, where outdoor work and team efforts helped him realize he liked contributing through hands-on work, where the results are tangible and visible.

When Dylan decided to pursue trade training, he applied for a Career Technical Education scholarship from TCF. This program offers up to $9,000 per calendar year for CIRI original shareholders and their lineal descendants.

“TCF covered all of it. And then some,” Dylan says. “Without that help, I don’t think I could’ve gotten into the program.”

Challenges, Growth, and Looking Ahead

Dylan’s training was just the beginning. Living in the dorms at AVTEC and keeping up with coursework presented challenges. Still, he found strength in the community around him.

“I had people I could lean on. We studied together. It surprised me how much easier it was to learn when we helped each other.”

Now working in the plumbing field, Dylan is already thinking ahead. He’s considering online courses in coding, drawing on his creativity and curiosity to keep learning.

“I like to draw, and I’ve always wanted to learn more tech stuff. It’s about staying motivated, and having good people around helps with that.”

Giving Back, Guiding Forward

With his training complete and tools in hand, Dylan is thinking bigger, about sharing what he’s learned and building long-term stability.

“Even if a trade school or program doesn’t guarantee a job right away, it’s worth doing. Learn the skills, you never know when they’ll be useful. And it’s good to have a backup if your dream changes. Whether it’s plumbing or coding, try to build skills that support you long-term.”

He encourages other CIRI descendants to explore their options early. When asked to sum up his journey in just three words, Dylan answers without hesitation:

“Lots of help.”

His words are humble, but his impact is something to be proud of. With scholarship support and determination, Dylan shows how TCF recipients don’t just build careers, they shape futures that fit. Dylan didn’t take the easy road, he built his own. With each challenge, he showed up, kept going, and proved that hands-on work can lead to big results.