SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Kezdon Wigart has lived in South Lake Tahoe his whole life. He knows these mountains, these forests, and these blue skies. What he didn’t know, for a long time, was where he fit inside them.
Like many kids, Kezdon struggled in a traditional classroom setting. Sitting still, staring at a whiteboard, working through assignments that felt disconnected from anything real wasn’t working for him. That changed on a field trip to Blodgett Forest Research Station, a UC Berkeley forestry site, where Mr. Kinnett’s class got to experience a controlled burn firsthand. Standing in the middle of that forest, watching fire burn, something settled in Kezdon. The wilderness felt calm to him…. like a calling. “I’m not a very good person at sitting still in classes,” he said, “but being out in the forest, experiencing the outdoors just felt right.”
From that day forward, Kezdon threw himself into Mr. Kinnett’s Wildland Fire Suppression unit inside the CTE Tahoe Science II – Forestry & Natural Resources program at South Tahoe High School. The unit takes students through the requirements to fulfill their Basic 32 Wildland Firefighting Training, which allows them to receive their Type 2 Wildland Firefighter certification. To earn his certification, Kezdon had to go beyond regular class hours and put in extra time and effort to cross the finish line. This past winter, Kezdon became the first student in the STHS Tahoe Science – Forestry & Natural Resources CTE pathway to be internally trained and certified as a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter.
The Meyers Forest Service Station took notice. In March, Kezdon was hired by the crew to work on Forest Service Engine 341. To commemorate this astounding accomplishment, Kezdon was the first recipient of the Tallac Hotshot Starter Kit Grant. He was awarded his starting pair of wildland firefighting boots, a pricey set of boots that all wildland firefighters must have on day one. Rugged, sturdy, and ready for work. Kezdon reports for his first day in June, immediately following his high school graduation.
Mr. Kinnett’s Tahoe Science program is only going to grow from here. Next school year, the course transitions to dual enrollment through Lake Tahoe Community College, meaning future students will earn college credit alongside real-world certifications. But for Kezdon Wigart, the path is already clear…. and it leads straight into the forest he’s called home his whole life.
-Erika Mathews, South Tahoe High CTE Specialist