Viola (00:00:00) - Some of them, they might think it's a little weird, but a lot of them they might think is really inspirational. And like a bunch of older peers might think it's really great that younger people are getting into the trades, but some younger peers might think it's a little. What is she doing? That's a little weird.
Lia (00:00:19) - Why do you think they would think it's weird? Is it because nobody really talks about it? It's not in school. What are your thoughts?
Viola (00:00:28) - Because on their part of social media, you don't see any of that. But the older people's you see a lot of age. But on younger peers like people my age, you barely see any of that stuff. So they're not used to seeing that type of stuff from other people. So they might think it's just like, what is this? I've never heard of it before. So.
Lia (00:00:58) - Welcome to the Sparky Life podcast. I'm your host, Lia Lamela, and here I share skilled trades conversations with those I've met along the way.
Lia (00:01:13) - Today I speak to an amazing young lady, Viola Vargas, a 12 year old who knows the powerful, positive impact the skilled trades has to offer. Viola has a background in Hvac. Her father, who is an Hvac tradesman, identified Viola's interest in the tools at a young age and fostered her learning within the Hvac field. Viola shares her insights regarding the educational value in the skilled trades, and believes it would bring her peers great independence and increased intellect to participate in skilled trades. And viola is not wrong. Doctor Kelly Lambert, a neurologist at the University of Richmond, has research which establishes working with our hands can alter our brain chemistry. She is also identified greater signs of mental health when test subjects were engaged in hand brained activities. I know I would not have struggled in intermediate and high school if I had skilled trades as an option and available to me. I did not excel in math until I began my career as an electrician. In the book End of Average by Todd Rose, he demonstrates the severely flawed academic system and his research has shown allowing for several different types of learning styles, introducing several different types of paths and by focusing on the individual.
Lia (00:02:49) - This brings students and companies, for that matter, greater success. The US Department of Education reports that there are 68% more job openings in trade related jobs in the next five years. Speaking with viola, it's clear none of her classmates are exposed to this information. Why is that? Elon Musk, arguably the Einstein of our time, has said college is a complete waste. Now, whether or not you agree with that statement is not what's relevant here. The takeaway is our students should be exposed to every opportunity and career path available to them. I believe in the individual. I know everyone has something special to offer and can contribute to this world. I also know there are many paths to the same destination, and viola clearly knows it as well. Welcome with me this amazing young lady, Viola Vargas. So nice to meet you, viola.
Viola (00:04:04) - Nice to meet you, too.
Lia (00:04:05) - I was lucky enough to be introduced to you through the nonprofit that I'm a part of, women Pioneers. And Leanne was just so impressed with you.
Lia (00:04:17) - You are an amazing young lady, so I just knew I had to have you on Sparky life. Thank you so much for being here with me.
Viola (00:04:25) - Thank you for giving me the opportunity.
Lia (00:04:27) - Oh, please. It's my pleasure, really. It's my pleasure. I got to tell you, you're pretty incredible for someone your age. Viola. You're only 12, and you are such a leader and mentor in your own right.
Viola (00:04:43) - You.
Lia (00:04:44) - You were introduced to the skilled trades from your dad, right? Can you tell me a little bit how that happened, how it came about?
Viola (00:04:53) - He'd always carry around his tool bag because he's always going to work and stuff. So sometimes I, like, sneak in there and, like, play with them. But I put them back, obviously. And then I just started cutting wires. Just like playing wires that are already broken off. So there's not connected to anything with wire cutters. I just cut them all the time. And then I just kept building my way up to all the big things.
Lia (00:05:21) - So what skilled trades are you a part of? Dad does Hvac, is that right?
Viola (00:05:28) - Yes yes.
Lia (00:05:29) - Yes yes. Okay. So you're familiar with Hvac in particular? Yes. That's a wonderful that's a wonderful career. Is that something that you plan on doing in the future. Do you want to get your license in Hvac?
Viola (00:05:42) - Hopefully. But I'm still deciding if that's what I want to be.
Lia (00:05:48) - So what are you thinking about? What are what is on your mind regarding that? I'd love to hear from you. Like why you're debating whether or not Hvac and what else is in your interest.
Viola (00:06:01) - Yeah. So. So I am an athlete in taekwondo, soccer and track and field. So maybe like when I'm older, I really want to try going to the Olympics or worlds and like become a professional. And I think Hvac is also something that can be like a home thing that you can do and stuff, and I think it's a really good skill to know in case if anything happens, you need to fix something and you don't have to pay money because you already have all the stuff.
Lia (00:06:34) - Yes, it creates quite a bit of independence for sure. Yes, and you are very much an athlete, so that's a big passion of yours. When did you get involved in that?
Viola (00:06:46) - When I was like six, five.
Lia (00:06:49) - Oh, wow. So you've been doing it for a while now?
Viola (00:06:53) - I recently just gone to soccer and track and field. But taekwondo, I've always done it. I did it like a little bit before I officially started. I just like kicked and punch my dad.
Lia (00:07:08) - Roughhousing with dad I love it. And with Hvac, you just kind of immediately was drawn to that field as well. You're interested in kind of figuring it out and playing with tools. What do you particularly like about it? I know you mentioned the independence of being able to fix it yourself, but is there anything else about Hvac that draws you to it?
Viola (00:07:30) - I like, really like organizing my tool bag.
Lia (00:07:35) - Me too.
Viola (00:07:36) - Me too. And I like color. Organizing them with, like, tape and stuff.
Viola (00:07:41) - If you look inside my tool bag, all you see is pink tape.
Lia (00:07:44) - I love it.
Viola (00:07:45) - You know? It's my tool bag. Anyone else's, even the handles. Pink.
Lia (00:07:51) - That's awesome. And what type of jobs do you get to go with dad and do? Do you get to assist him?
Viola (00:07:59) - Yes. My first project I did with my dad is we went on top of a roof and that was my first, like everything with the big stuff. I went on a roof for my first time and I think we should be going back on the roof again sometime soon. And I was like, I really like that. But it was hot.
Lia (00:08:20) - Oh wow. It was in the summertime. Yeah. And are you you weren't afraid of the height. Oh my gosh, you're so brave. I, I'm terrified. I was.
Viola (00:08:31) - Doubting it. But then when I started climbing the ladder I was like, oh wait, this isn't that bad.
Lia (00:08:35) - So that is amazing because I am terrified of heights and I.
Viola (00:08:43) - Am actually really afraid of heights. One of my top fears is probably heights, but in the time I had so much fun.
Lia (00:08:51) - So you were too busy enjoying what you were doing to be afraid, I love it. What would you tell a young lady like yourself who's interested in getting involved in the skill? Treats.
Viola (00:09:03) - Do it. No. It's such a wonderful thing. I don't know how to explain it. It's just a really good thing to be able to do. And like, you can teach so many other people. And I think it's just. It's just a good thing to know and to do. And so that, like I said earlier, if I don't continue Hvac, it's just something that is good in case something happens, right? And just makes you smarter. It made me so much smarter, if I'm so honest. It made me so much smarter. My grades so much better.
Lia (00:09:38) - Me too, me too. I was terrible at math. And then by working with tools and measuring tape and electrical, I got so much better.
Viola (00:09:48) - Yeah, in science my grade has gone up in math, my grade has also gone up and like all my subjects, I have 90s now. And so I've got I got smarter.
Lia (00:10:00) - Yes, yes. It's amazing how the trades really teaches you how to problem solve. You know, it's pretty special that if you choose Hvac as a career or not, you're kind of always going to hold on to it because it's something special that you can fall back on. You'll always have work. You'll never have to worry about not being employed. We learned with everything that happened with Covid, what can happen with certain career paths. And I love how passionate you are about your athletic journey. Your goals are pretty incredible. Now it seems like you've got a lot going on, right? So how do you balance everything?
Viola (00:10:43) - My mom and my dad.
Lia (00:10:45) - Are you.
Viola (00:10:46) - See my mom because she drives me everywhere. She will drive me anywhere. Oh, usually my whole week is filled with everything like soccer and taekwondo.
Viola (00:10:58) - And then like, after school, I go to track and field practice until like, 515. And whenever I need to do homework, I either do it in the car or before, like before I go to my activity and I do it after.
Lia (00:11:13) - You're so good at managing your time.
Viola (00:11:16) - I try to be. I used to be really bad at managing my time. It was horrible.
Lia (00:11:21) - It was, well, you've gotten much better, much better, clearly. And you have amazing, wonderful parents that have obviously raised a pretty incredible young lady. Now you have any brothers and sisters?
Viola (00:11:37) - . I have five siblings.
Lia (00:11:40) - Oh, nice big family. Is any one of your siblings interested in the skilled trades as well or is it just you?
Viola (00:11:47) - None of them. But I know my sister, she likes to build vanities. So like whenever she buys something off of Amazon, that's what she'll be doing. She'll steal all my tools.
Lia (00:11:57) - I'll steal the whole tool bag.
Viola (00:11:59) - My bag went missing. I looked in her room.
Viola (00:12:01) - It was there. I was like. But other than that, no.
Lia (00:12:06) - Do you think that they should investigate it as an option?
Viola (00:12:10) - Yes and no. Because they can just call me.
Lia (00:12:14) - Oh, that's I love that. I love that you're always willing to help them out. Yeah. Does your high school have anything regarding skilled trades classes?
Viola (00:12:25) - No, I don't think so. I've never heard of any class. I know in some other schools I have like engineering and stuff, but at my school they they don't have that, which I think they should, they should really invest in that because also the like workers at my school, they're really bad at their job.
Lia (00:12:43) - Yeah.
Viola (00:12:44) - They need a little help.
Lia (00:12:46) - They need help. We need help with the maintenance and the upkeep. Yeah. Yes. I don't know if you're aware. Please let me know if you are. But we have a major labor shortage, so I'm not surprised to hear you say that, because we had a lot of the older generation retire and the skilled trades.
Lia (00:13:08) - One thing that's so special about it is the apprentice mentor relationship. So if you have these people who've been in the skilled trades for two decades, three decades, and they retire and exit, and then you've got all these new people walking in who's who's mentoring them, right? No one is so lucky to have dad. You're so lucky to have dad there.
Viola (00:13:32) - He's great. Good teacher.
Lia (00:13:33) - Good teacher.
Lia (00:13:34) - That's wonderful. So you do think that your high school should have some kind of skilled trades program?
Viola (00:13:41) - Yes, they should, they really should. And also because our building is also really old too. It was built in like the 60s.
Lia (00:13:50) - Wow.
Viola (00:13:50) - It's also really old school. And I know there isn't a lot that can be done with like all the air conditioning and stuff, but with people with better skills and. Techniques. I think it can be a little bit better.. Definitely the maintenance is okay. But I see like when I walk around and I see them working, I'm just like what are they doing.
Viola (00:14:12) - That's not, that's not supposed to.
Lia (00:14:15) - Because you know you actually know what needs to be done and what should be done. Is there any other skilled trade that you've been introduced to like carpentry or,, welding.
Viola (00:14:28) - Welding and then plumbing?
Lia (00:14:31) - Oh, wow. Plumbing too. Holy cow. That's fantastic. Do you have a favorite? Is there something in particular that you're drawn to?
Viola (00:14:42) - I like fixing sinks and like, I don't really like fixing toilets, but I like fixing sinks more. Yes, I like filling in the holes with, like, the fire tool. Yeah, that's what I like doing. One of my favorites is probably doing the solder welding. I think that's what it's called. I forgot.
Lia (00:15:01) - Yes, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. That takes a lot of dexterity and skill.
Viola (00:15:07) - It took me not that long to learn it though, and I know all the safety stuff. So yeah, and I did it like back whenever it was that little storm we had over here a little bit.
Viola (00:15:20) - And I did that like in the cold, it was a little bit harder because all the cold wind is blowing and stuff. So I still got it to I controlled it.
Lia (00:15:31) - Even under those conditions. That's great. That's really great. You clearly have a talent for it. What do you think about your peers, the people that are with you in your class? What do you think they would think about the skilled trades?
Viola (00:15:50) - Some of them, they might think it's a little weird, but a lot of them, they might think it's really inspirational. And like a bunch of older peers might think it's really great that younger people are getting into the trades, but some younger peers might think it's a little, what is she doing that's a little weird?
Lia (00:16:09) - Why do you think they would think it's weird? Is it because nobody really talks about it? It's not in school. What are your thoughts?
Viola (00:16:18) - Because on their part of social media, you don't see any of that. But the older people's you see a lot of Hvac.
Viola (00:16:27) - But on younger peers like people my age, you barely see any of that stuff. So they're not used to seeing that type of stuff from other people. So they might think it's just like, what is this? I've never heard of it before. So.
Lia (00:16:41) - Well, you are a real trailblazer because clearly you're doing it now. What do they see? What do you tend to see in your social media?
Viola (00:16:52) - I see a lot of dancing videos, a lot of dangerous videos, too much dangerous videos. And I just see a lot of just people not being productive.
Lia (00:17:03) - Oh well, you are a very productive young lady, so I think you would definitely know the difference. What do you mean by dangerous?
Viola (00:17:13) - There's like friends going on where like, people eat tide pods and stuff like that, being like purposely doing bad things in school. So it's just like something like you wouldn't want to see on social media.
Lia (00:17:26) - Yeah, like Ty pods. It must be for shock value. That's the only thing I could think of why that would would be there.
Viola (00:17:34) - That hand view.
Lia (00:17:35) - Yeah. Well exactly that because of the shock value. They're looking for views. Oh how disappointing. How do you think we could show more skilled traits?
Viola (00:17:47) - I think by socializing.
Lia (00:17:51) - Socializing it, making it more common within your group. Right. Yeah. Okay. So definitely having a young lady like you working Hvac and showing that on social media will do that. Do you talk about it with your friends? Do you tell them the things that you build and do?
Viola (00:18:09) - Actually, no, I don't think any of my friends except one knows that I do any Hvac things that I have an Instagram account dedicated to some Hvac. I don't think any of them know.
Lia (00:18:22) - Really?
Viola (00:18:23) - Yeah.
Lia (00:18:24) - Why is that?
Viola (00:18:25) - , I don't know, because then, like, people my age, they find everything funny or cringe. So then people, they find any excuse or anything to make fun of someone. So I feel like if I try, they might be like, oh, you're weird for that.
Viola (00:18:41) - I it's a good skill to learn because like how I said earlier, it makes you so much smarter. It makes also a better person.
Lia (00:18:50) - I agree with you. I think you're totally right. You're totally right, and I can empathize. I know what it's like when you're in intermediate school. Kids, kids. Anything that's different and that's not common is something that's poked fun at or looked at as weird. But what you're doing is incredible.
Viola (00:19:13) - Thank you.
Lia (00:19:13) - I know when your friends see that you're doing this at first, maybe they might think it's weird at first. Yeah, but to watch you build and create and the power that that gives you the independence that that gives you. There is no other word than cool for that. How do you know who might grow us?
Viola (00:19:41) - Might grow? Yes, no I don't.
Lia (00:19:44) - Do you know the show Dirty Jobs?
Viola (00:19:46) - No, I've never heard of that show.
Lia (00:19:48) - So for me, I saw Mike Rowe when I was younger, and he had a TV show called Dirty Jobs where he would film working with people in skilled trades.
Lia (00:20:03) - And he was very funny and well-spoken. It was entertaining, and it was really cool to see all these jobs in the skilled trades that I did not even know existed. So that's how I learned about the skilled trades, because my family, I don't have anyone who works in the skilled trades. That's the only reason why I knew that existed. But I was wondering if you knew of anybody on social media or on TV that does skilled trades work?
Viola (00:20:36) - Not a lot, except like the Women Pioneer, for example. I know them and like all the other individuals, a part of that. And my father. Yes, yes, he learned from like one of his friends or cousins. I think about the trades.
Lia (00:20:55) - That's probably why that your friends aren't exposed to it.
Viola (00:21:00) - Yeah, because not a lot of people talk about it enough, or they're just not in the right platform on social media or group in social media to know about it. I try to get everywhere, different places, so I know about everything.
Viola (00:21:17) - So I just don't know about this one specific part of social media. So I know a lot of other parts of social media.
Lia (00:21:24) - Do you like to be well-rounded?. That's absolutely wonderful. What would you like to see for your classmates for their future. What do you think would be good for them.
Viola (00:21:37) - I think obviously good health for every person and for them to just at least get into a little bit of Hvac. Yeah. And to just be passionate about what they do and stuff and like, follow your dream. I think just to have a good, healthy, wealthy life in the future for them. And like I said, a little bit of Hvac. So in case something happens, you don't have to spend money. Funneling money you're spending is on tools.
Lia (00:22:12) - It's amazing, I love it. Okay. You're a very successful young lady for the age that you're at. I mean, I got to tell you, when I was your age, I was not doing the things that you are doing.
Lia (00:22:24) - I wish I was really. You're inspiring. And I want to know what tool is in your tool belt. Meaning? What's something that you take with you every day that's kind of in the back of your mind that has helped you become such a successful young lady that has helped you kind of navigate, I mean, the fact that you want to be worldly, the fact that you have such great time management, the fact that you're an athlete, but you're also so intelligently driven. What do you think about or hold on to every day that has helped you accomplish this?
Viola (00:23:05) - I think about all the motivation I get about my passion and my dreams. Also a lot of dedication to what I'm doing.
Lia (00:23:18) - So you're very dedicated to your dreams and your passion that drives you every day. Yeah, amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the Sparky life with me. It was such a pleasure having you.
Viola (00:23:31) - Thank you for inviting me on here.
Lia (00:23:34) - It was such a treat having viola on the Sparky Life podcast.
Lia (00:23:39) - I am on the board of a nonprofit, Women Pioneers in Unity, and had the opportunity to meet viola through the nonprofit. Now, being a person of action, I see that there is still, in 2024, a severe lack in information given to students regarding different types of career paths. I have been reaching out to intermediate and high schools throughout the United States, offering their students a free career exploration opportunity. Sparky Life sees the need to expose students to the career opportunities in the skilled trades. We're going to do something about it. We have hand-selected skilled trades men and women leaders in the construction industry to participate in a direct conversation with the students, exposing them to the career opportunities and our network. If you would like to support Sparky life in this endeavor, you can do so by subscribing only $3 a month. You can help support this program if you're connected to a school and would like us to visit, you can email us at the Sparky Life of Leah at gmail.com. I am passionate about educating and advocating for students to learn and explore different avenues of the construction and skilled trades industry.
Lia (00:25:11) - Now, if you're not able to support this program at this time, that's okay. Maybe another time. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Thank you for joining us. If you felt a spark in today's episode, I invite you to write a review.
Lia (00:25:31) - I'd love to hear what lit you up.
Lia (00:25:34) - Take what resonates.
Lia (00:25:35) - With you.
Lia (00:25:36) - And if you'd like to hear more.
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