Jayden Rosetto

Vandalia junior Jayden Rosetto shares that a chance encounter with a small business owner has helped him identify his future career. It was early on a Sunday morning, and he spoke with Tammy at Northside Christian Church, who owns Culbertson’s Heating and Cooling. Their conversation led to a job and the realization that he enjoys working on and learning about heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

“I enjoy doing it. It’s fun to learn about. I like working there. So that’s what’s causing me to want to study HVAC,” shares Jayden. “The need will not go away; everyone wants to stay comfortable. There’s a lot you can go into; as a journeyman, you can go into commercial buildings or work residential.”

As a junior, Jayden shares that he’s rigorously sprinting towards the finish line, looking forward to graduating and attending a trade school; he plans to study HVAC and anticipates doing so through an apprenticeship that will allow him the best of both worlds.

Through an apprenticeship, he’ll learn hands-on at Culbertson’s Heating and Cooling while picking up knowledge through classroom instruction. He’ll split his time between work and school, getting paid for his hours worked along the way while being able to remain close to home.

“Most of my family lives around here, and I don’t want to move away from my family. They’re a big part of who I am. I don’t like thinking about moving out of state or even a couple of hours away,” admits Jayden.

He adds, “This summer, we went to Tennessee and hiked the Great Smoky Mountains over the summer. I want to stay here, but I also want to go out and see the world. I want a place to come home to. Here, everyone knows each other. It’s just a smaller town, so you can drive down the road and see twelve people you know going where you’re going. Vandalia is just a close community.”

Jayden is enrolled in Algebra II and horticulture and plays football and wrestles. He admits that being from Vandalia and starting to wrestle as a freshman put him behind the knowledge curve but adds that he’s played football his entire life. A defensive starter as a sophomore, he shares that he’s currently starting on both sides of the ball. “Football’s my favorite sport. That’s what I’ve always been playing,” shares Jayden.

While Jayden is looking towards a future, working in HVAC, he credits much of his work ethic to lessons learned through sports, citing Coach Clay as a ‘big part of who I am.’ He shares that he met Coach Clay in the weight room on the last day of his eighth-grade year but didn’t realize who he was at the time. “He taught me a lot through sports. To be hard working. To be dependable. That if you say something, you better follow through,” says Jayden.

Then, he closes with what might be the most significant lesson Coach Clay’s taught him, adding, “If you’re not working hard, you’re not going to play. It’s just how it is.” Somehow, we suspect Jayden intends to play, and that his work ethic will help him accomplish his goals both on and off the field.