Leigh Alum Matthew Wietfeld Speaks to Leigh High School Students
During the past semester, Matthew Wietfeld became the thirteenth LHS graduate to speak to the sophomore careers class as part of the “Successful Leigh-ders” project.
The “Successful Leigh-ders” project involves bringing back former Leigh High School students to talk to current Leigh High School students about the 16 career fields designated by the state of Nebraska. Junior and senior students were also welcome to attend the speeches if it was a career field they are interested in pursuing.
Wietfeld spoke to students on the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics career cluster. He joined other former graduates who spoke earlier in the semester, including Kamin (Hillen) Held, Austin Bruhn, Ryan Kumpf, Mike and Ty McMullin, Lauren (Settje) Stoklasa, Cody Hillen, Lindsay McCutcheon, Boone McAfee, Mike Gilotti, Brett Loseke, and Jeremy Welsch.
After graduating from Leigh in 2002, Wietfeld worked for his family’s local farming operation and trucking company, Wietfeld Trucking.
Wietfeld did an excellent job giving kids knowledge about the trucking industry. He explained the difference between local hauling and over-the-road trucking, and explained all that goes into running a local trucking business.
He talked with students about the importance of clean driving records. He also encouraged them to take classes at a community college to make themselves more versatile. Larger companies, he said, will not employ drivers under age 23. Smaller companies will employ at age 18. On the management and logistics side of things, he stressed to students the importance of organization and prioritizing. He said he typically has to respond to around 70 business-related phone calls and text messages each day in order for their operation to run smoothly.
“Wages in the trucking and transportation industry are very competitive and are rising all the time,” Wietfeld added. “You can make a good living in this industry if you are willing to learn and work hard.”
Wietfeld also talked to students about his experiences farming and how the transportation industry is very interconnected with the farming industry. He encouraged any students who like to do hands-on activities to think about careers in farming and agriculture.
“Many people think that if their family doesn’t own a farm that they can’t be involved in agriculture,” Wietfeld said. “But there are plenty of ag-related jobs available. The more you skills you can acquire at a young age, the more marketable you will make yourself.”
Mrs. Megan Hillen and Mrs. Justine Fischer appreciated how Matthew stressed hard work and willingness to learn.
“Many of our recent speakers from other career clusters have all had traditional four-year degrees or higher for their education,” Fischer said. “Matthew acknowledged that this is necessary for certain careers, but it isn’t for everyone. He stressed that there are many avenues to making a comfortable living, even if a four-year college isn’t the right fit. But he made it very clear that it doesn’t matter how much education a person has if they aren’t willing to work. This was a great message for our kids.”