BILLINGS — In January, Hunter Balsam left the Washington Innovation Center as the school's first graduate.
"My last day of school—it didn’t even feel like it. I was there for a whole 30 minutes," said Balsam. "My whole thing was: I don’t want to be in school for another year. I want to get it done, get it over with, 'cause high school hasn’t been my favorite thing in the world."
Nearly four percent of high school students drop out in Montana. Hunter said he feared he was headed down the wrong path while at Senior High School.
“Sophomore year, my English teacher told me I wouldn’t be anything, told me I would probably drop out," said Balsam. "I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Got into some trouble.”
Jamacena Morin, a Washington Innovation Center career coach, worked closely with Balsam to ensure his graduation and a clear career path.
“Every student here is kind of on a second chance," said Morin. “My position is unique because I don’t have to teach, and I don’t have to be a (disciplinarian), and I can get to know them in a different capacity.”
Being from Billings' Southside in the '90s, she said she sees her own backstory as running parallel to Balsam's, having felt like there was no place to fit in while in high school.
“I didn’t follow the traditional path. I didn’t do things traditionally, but I still ended up at the same spot as everyone else," said Morin.
She gifted Balsam a compass engraved with a quote from Henry David Thoreau that read, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
Balsam plans to attend the Western Welding Academy in Gillette, Wyoming, in the fall.
He said he hopes to live on a ranch in East Texas.
“Even though (Balsam is) not in our computer system, we’re still here for him," said Morin.
in Montana. Hunter said he feared he was headed down the wrong path while at Senior High School.
