Skyler Wilkie

Hello all, my name is Skyler Wilkie. I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington until I was around 21 years of age. I moved to Texas to find work and almost immediately became a deckhand for a deep-sea fishing charter boat company in Port Aransas. At the time, my working goal was towards getting a 100-ton merchant mariner license so that I could become a Corpus Cristi barge captain or head boat captain. All was going to Plan until hurricane Harvey hit the small coastal island I was living on. The touchdown date and the hurricane’s duration are from August 17, 2017 – September 2, 2017. The hurricane Destroyed my home, and I lost my job due to extensive damage done to the harbor. I ended up moving to Redding, Ca, 2,075 miles away due to my partner at the time visiting her mother there.

In addition, It took three months to get unemployment, seven months to acquire F.E.M.A. benefits, and one year to get on H.U.D. housing. All the while, I was surviving off of my savings and credit accounts, watching my credit score tank, and my wells dry up. It sure wasn’t easy, mainly because my daughter Mykiah was born on October 28, 2017, right after the hurricane. During that time, we were still living out of a Hotel 6 while transitioning to CalWORKs ( a state-run welfare agency) working on getting us an apartment. A few months after we settled down, I found out about Shasta College. I applied and promptly enrolled in the heavy equipment program.

After graduating from the heavy equipment program, I decided to continue with my education. I have, as of recent, completed the heavy equipment program, C.N.C. operator certification, the maintenance mechanic certification, the industrial technology certification, and finally, the Associate of Science Degree in General Studies: Industrial Technology. My current educational goal is to transfer to a four-year college/university to pursue a B.A.S. degree in Industrial Technology and Management by the start of 2021. At the same time, get an apprenticeship or internship for work experience and help with the cost of attendance.