Jack Fultz

From family tragedy Jack Fultz, 19, found new motivation and opportunity, using the memory of his brother as a newfound drive in life to achieve his goals – starting with collecting his GED through Klamath Community College.

Jack had dropped out of high school while growing up in Reno, Nev., and when the family moved to Klamath Falls he took local jobs but found them unfulfilling. Reeling from the loss of his brother and biggest role model, who commit suicide in 2017, Jack spoke with family about wanting something more than working in fast food, and decided pursuing an education was paramount in attaining a better life.

After an initial failed attempt at joining the GED program through K-CET, it was the COVID payout checks that finally pushed Jack to get serious about his education.

“I figured if they’re paying me, I should actually do something important with this money, so I spoke to my mom and found out that I could go into the online GED program for free through our SNAP benefits,” said Jack. “So I enrolled in June and got my GED last month.”

Memories of his brother, a stellar student and positive figure, was a strong motivator throughout Jack’s revived interest in education, while instructors and KCET staff went the extra mile to make sure that he could reach his goals.

“The teacher was very helpful, if there was anything I didn’t understand she would go step-by-step to explain it to me, and I could always reach out to the KCET team for help,” added Jack. “My other siblings dropped out too, so I thought maybe me being younger if they saw me doing this it would motivate them also, and it has. My sister is now getting her GED and my brother is planning to do it too.”

With his GED proudly in hand, Jack plans to stick with KCC, entering the Diesel Mechanic program this upcoming winter term to pursue his associate degree. A self-professed grease monkey, from a young age he’d always loved helping his dad work on cars. While he considered truck driving as a career path, he prefers staying close to family to hopefully work part-time in a diesel shop while taking classes full-time. After graduation he plans to work on diesel trucks and save money, aspiring to own his own house by the time he’s 26 and eventually opening up his own diesel repair shop.

Jack sees KCC’s pathway from GED to associate degree as the smart way to pursue his dreams, leading to a fulfilling and prosperous career with little debt so that he can reach his financial and career goals faster.

“You can do anything you put your mind to – I stick to that,” said Jack, repeating words his brother had told him before his untimely death. “I figured he would want me to get an education. Ever since I thought about doing this, I have just been focused on getting it done and not let anything get in my way and distract me.”