New Vision High School: Taelor McMillen found a school where he could rebuild himself
Taelor McMillen’s hobby is building cars and then wrecking them. His biggest rebuilding project, though, was when he reinvented himself.
The New Vision High School graduate spent three years at Post Falls High School, arguing with his parents and siblings and picking up lots of bad habits, he said.
“I had a hard time with in-person school,” McMillen said. “I wasn’t really behind in credits, but I wasn’t hanging around with the best people, and I wasn’t the best person myself. I wasn’t giving myself a chance to become better, to be the person I wanted to be.
“My parents and friends told me that they were worried about me, but it took a long time for me to realize that they were right and that my life would be easier if I let the people in who wanted to help me. The people who cared about me were trying, and I wasn’t.
“I’m not sure when the light went on,” he added. “My grandpa died when I was young, and I wanted to make him proud, and not many people in my family have walked across a high school stage to graduate. It would have been easier for people to give up on me, because they did not deserve the things I said or how I treated them much of the time.”
New Vision worked for McMillen because he was able to integrate his program at Kootenai Technical Education Campus with his online classes. And he raved about the staff at New Vision.
“They’re amazing,” he said. “It’s the kindest group of people I’ve ever encountered. They don’t hesitate to help you, going above and beyond. I really don’t think that I would have graduated if I hadn’t gone there.”
McMillen earned Industrial Welding certifications upon completion of his KTEC program, and plans to go into pipeline welding, starting with an apprenticeship. His high school experience should provide him opportunities to move through the steps quickly, and he hopes eventually to have his own business with a mobile welding unit.
About that hobby? McMillen started by helping a friend build cars for Auto Roller Derby, more aptly described as a demolition contest where the goal is to have the only running car remaining. His friend urged him to compete, and the first time he was on the track, he was hooked.
“I bought my own car recently,” he said. “We never spend more than $300 to buy one, and after the derby we either repair and reinforce it, or get a new one. It’s a great way for me to work out my anger, doing something that I love and that makes me proud to be there.”
What makes McMillen’s accomplishments even more incredible, is that he did them while facing his mother’s serious illness and his own shoulder injury that required surgery, New Vision instructor MeShell Nadeau said.
“The simplest tasks could feel like an uphill battle, and Taelor wasn’t just a student anymore,” Nadeau said. “He was also both a patient and caregiver. I watched him mature, learn patience and valuable time management. He was determined not to let any setbacks stop him. Witnessing his tenacity is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.”