Built Different: Finding a Future in Construction
Benjamin Soto graduated from New Castle Senior High School not entirely sure what came next. The classroom had been a struggle: family pressures, shaky grades, a math class that never quite clicked. But whenever he got home, he built things. That habit turned out to be more than a hobby. It was a sign.
Today, Benjamin is a Building Technology graduate of New Castle School of Trades, with real skills, a network, and a sense of where he’s headed.
WATCH: Benjamin shares what led him to NCST
Getting Through High School
Freshman and sophomore year were rough for Benjamin. Credits slipped, family issues made it hard to focus, and subjects like math felt like a wall he couldn’t get past.
“Some I understood, some I didn’t,” he said. “Some just didn’t make sense. But I got through it.”
With the help of friends who held him accountable, he pulled his grades up and graduated on time. What he still hadn’t figured out was what came after.
A Pattern He Noticed at Home
During those uncertain years, Benjamin kept coming home and building. It wasn’t a plan; it was just something he did. But somewhere in that routine, the direction started to take shape.
At one point I was lost on what I wanted to do. I would get home and build, and that’s how I kind of saw where my future was heading, since I love to build.
He looked up construction programs, found NCST, and decided to go for it.
Walking In Unsure, Walking Out Confident
Benjamin’s first day at NCST wasn’t without nerves. No friends, a new environment, the quiet anxiety of starting over.
“I was nervous at one point,” he said. “No friends, nervous about what was going to happen.”
That didn’t last long. He started talking to people, friendships formed, and the dynamic shifted. Communicating, he realized, is kind of the job anyway.
“When I came in here, I thought I wouldn’t have friends. But I kind of had to communicate, and as I did that, I began having more friends.”
Learning by Doing
High school had a rhythm of learning something one week and moving on the next, each lesson erased before it had time to stick. NCST works differently. You stay on a skill for weeks. You practice it. When you get it wrong, an instructor or classmate shows you how to fix it.
It’s better than just writing it down and reading a book. I understand it better doing it instead of reading it. With a trade, if you’re struggling with trying to cut something, the instructor will show you, do an example, and help you do it. They make you get better.
The Moment It All Confirmed
For Benjamin, the moment everything clicked was roofing. Working through the Building Technology modules, he got his hands on it and something just fell into place.
“When I started getting my hands dirty and building stuff, I was for sure this was the place,” he said. “Since I love roofing, it’s easier and I just love it. That’s just kind of where I want my future to be.”
A Family-Like Environment
Benjamin describes NCST as feeling like a family, instructors included. People check each other’s work, offer corrections without making it a thing, and show up for one another.
We all laugh, giggle, and help each other out. If we’re struggling with something, we can ask, and they’ll do it. If you’re struggling and go to your friends, they will literally help you and treat you like you’re one of theirs.
What He’d Tell a Kid Still Figuring It Out
“If you’re struggling and don’t know what to do, you have people who believe in you. You will find the path you want to go to. If you see something you want to do, look into it, find that school, and go. You will learn a lot.”
And if that path leads to NCST?
NCST is a great school and will help you get to a path you might not know.
Interested in Building Technology or another trade program? Schedule a visit or request more information to get started.