MaCoy, his father Jason and his mother Kimberly at his high school graduation
In addition to helping ease the financial concerns that college presents, the Inspired Pathways program is designed to guide students and parents through the application process which can be complex and challenging. “MaCoy is the first child I put through advanced schooling,” says Jason, who began work directly out of high school. “It’s new to me and I had a lot of questions, but then Pathways came along. Nate Lockett, the program director, does a great job of keeping you calm and giving good advice. He was very supportive.” Through his work at Dan’s Prize, Jason was familiar with the kinds of hard workers that have passed through the program. “I work with people who started their journey with Pathways, and I’ve never once had any of them come tell me that they can’t do something, that something is too complicated.”
Knowing that MaCoy’s financial obligations are covered has left Jason feeling like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. “The program gets him such a good start on life. He’s bill-free right now, and after school he won’t have any debt. It doesn’t really sink in until you see the bill and know that it’s all paid. It’s just…I got chills right now.” The money they saved, thanks to the scholarship, allowed Jason and his wife, Kimberly Reimer, to buy a set of high-quality tools that will give MaCoy a head start as he begins his career. Jason is grateful for the support that Hormel Inspired Pathways has offered MaCoy and others like him. “Inspired Pathways is not just taking care of me,” he says, “but my family. They’re giving my son a good start on life, a really firm foothold. I’m thankful for it, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
But even as formal education becomes a bigger part of a tradesman’s training, MaCoy and Jason both understand the importance of wise, honest guidance — the very thing that Jason has always sought to pass on to his son. The two spend lots of time together fishing or horseback riding and often, “anything outdoors,” Jason says. In the evenings they enjoy watching “The Office.” “He and I are extremely close. We have some really open conversations about everything, about life in general.”
This relationship has allowed MaCoy to internalize his father’s ideas about the importance of a strong work ethic. “I’ve always said that no matter what you do in life, there’s a couple things that you need to do really well,” Jason says. “One is, you should get to work early, work extremely hard and second, at the end of the day, ask yourself, what else can I do? It’s a mindset of wanting to do an excellent job, no matter what you’re doing, and I think MaCoy has that.”
