I feel like I can learn a lot at Western. And I'm ready to increase that learning curve.

I think it's going to help that I'm a local and that I'm very familiar with all of the high schools in the area. I also understand how things are run at Western and what the expectations are.

We're learning time and time again as fishery after fishery collapses that you reach such low numbers that they can be considered extinct.

The students have learned a lot. First, learning about the level of devastation. What we saw on TV does not reflect what the reality is here and hearing the personal stories of people and how they have been affected by the hurricane. It's been really moving and educational. At the same time, the sense of optimism and hope that the people of Mississippi have has been amazing.

This is not a step back. Win or lose, it's always a learning experience.

This is a perfect opportunity to learn about job skills in a supportive learning environment.