At the age of forty, Michael Reed, of Somerville, found himself without a job and without marketable skills. He had worked for years as a pest control technician to provide for his family of six children. Prior to that, Michael spent eight years on duty in the U.S. Army and still remains active in the Army reserves. He worked with the Department of Employment and Training in his efforts to find new employment and discovered he was eligible for retraining. Bay State School of Technology was one of the institutions suggested to him. After visiting the school, Michael decided to enroll in the Major Appliances, Domestic and Commercial Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Program. He received aid through a Federal PELL grant and Direct Student Loans. Michael was doing well in school when Uncle Sam called his unit to active duty. He received a Military Leave of Absence and was gone for over six months. When he came back to the States, he returned to school to continue his training program. Michael graduated in November and has been employed by TC’s Repair as a Service Technician maintaining and repairing coffee making equipment at coffee shop chain stores such as Dunkin Donuts. After a short training period with the company, he will be on his own on the road with a company van. We are very grateful to Mr. Reed for his service to our country in this time of need and we wish him great success in his new career.