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Editor’s Note: The Daily Item will feature Valley seniors who are on the go, taking college courses or working co-ops while finishing their high school degree. This is part three of a nine-part series.
LEWISBURG — Ryan Metta-Rogan’s love for cars led him to the automotive program at SUN Area Technical School in New Berlin.
Metta-Rogan, a senior at Lewisburg Area School District, is spending his final year in high school at the technical school and will be doing a cooperative education program at Selinsgrove Ford in February. He will start in August at the University of Northwestern Ohio where he plans to major in high-performance and automotive mechanics.
“I love working on cars,” he said. “I love the hands-on. I want to make that my career. It’s doing what I love. Ever since I was little, I loved muscle cars. My first car was a muscle car. I love the sound. I love working on them. The whole car community is great. I love it so much.”
He drives his first car — a 2010 Inferno orange Chevrolet Camero — only on the weekends and in good weather.
With SUN Area, Metta-Rogan said he is “trying to kickstart my education when I get out of high school, get to college and continue my path with mechanics.
Metta-Rogan’s only extracurricular is baseball in the second baseman position. He doesn’t return to the Lewisburg Area High School for clubs or other activities.
“You do miss something,” said Metta-Rogan. “By going to SUN-Tech, you made new friends and go on a whole new path in schooling for what you want to do with the rest of your life.”
Dave Hauck, automotive technology instructor, has been a great teacher, said Metta-Rogan.
“He’s the best around in my opinion,” he said.
Metta-Rogan was selected as the Sun Area’s student of the month in October. He was honored at the Lewisburg Rotary Club where he received a certificate and a $100 check.
“I do what I need to do, I stay focused,” said Metta-Rogan. “I like to stay determined on what I need to do.”
His mother Jeanne Metta-Rogan worked previously as the career counselor at The Lycoming Career & Technology Center in Hughseville. She currently works as a guidance counselor at Muncy School District.
“I always tell my kids to do something they want to do for the rest of their lives,” said Jeanne Metta-Rogan. “I tell them to pick something they’re going to enjoy. You need to wake up every day, and if you’re miserable, you don’t want to wake up like that.”
Her son “lives and breathes cars” so his choice for his senior year made the most sense to her, she said.
“Why go to college for it when you can do it in high school and do it for free?” said Jeanne Metta-Rogan.
She said she sees more and more students taking the non-traditional route for their senior years. A lot of students “dive right in” and end up not knowing what they’re doing, she said.
“It’s a great idea,” she said. “You can get the experience when you’re still in high school. Lots of students are taking advantage of it. College is super expensive.“
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