When Lauren Gartz visited a Genesee Valley BOCES open house with her father, he saw an opportunity for his daughter. A former Metal Trades student at the Batavia campus, he encouraged her to consider Electro-Mechanical Trades. That visit helped set Lauren on a path toward work she enjoys and a future she can picture for herself.

Today, the Byron-Bergen Central School senior studies Electro-Mechanical Trades at the Genesee Valley BOCES Batavia CTE Center and participates in a cooperative work experience at OXBO. There, she is learning to assemble agricultural equipment, discovering her strengths and finding her place among coworkers who have made her feel welcome.

Lauren took the first step toward that opportunity herself. Eager to begin working before her senior-year co-op, she walked into OXBO and asked for an application. She was hired in June, turning her interest into a summer job that continued into the school year and recently became her formal BOCES co-op placement.

Her first assignments involved electrical assemblies for equipment cabs. Since then, she has moved into engine assembly, where she enjoys the differences between equipment models and the chance to keep learning. “I definitely like the engines more than the cabs,” Lauren said. Each new assignment helps her learn more about the work she wants to pursue.

Her commitment is clear in her daily routine. Lauren wakes around 3:15 a.m. to begin work at 4 a.m., finishing at 11:30 a.m. before heading to Byron-Bergen for her academic classes. Getting to bed early and staying on top of assignments help her make room for both her education and her job.

Basketball in the winter and softball in the spring will bring more responsibilities, and Lauren is already considering how to adjust her work hours. She wants to continue gaining experience while making time for her teams and getting enough rest. It takes planning, but she is approaching those decisions with care and determination.

As the only female student among the 46 students across her program’s morning and afternoon classes, Lauren feels welcome and supported at both BOCES and OXBO. She is comfortable pursuing her interests and appreciates the sense of belonging she has found in the classroom and at work. Speaking about her OXBO coworkers, she said, “I love the people. They’re all great. We all get along.”

Those relationships have also helped Lauren see how much room there is to grow. Coworkers have talked with her about different roles within the company and opportunities to learn new skills. She appreciates knowing she can explore other areas as her interests develop, with people around her who are willing to teach her.

After graduation, Lauren is considering staying at OXBO full time. She does not have every step of her future mapped out, but she has found work she enjoys and people she enjoys working beside. What began with her father’s encouragement and her own willingness to ask for an application has become a meaningful start to her next chapter.