Meet Woodworking Alumnus Paul Lam
Since Paul Lam could remember, he was building things, and woodworking had always
been his calling. Growing up, Paul did not have many toys, so he created and built
toys out of wood. While in college, Paul did not have much money for furniture, so
he designed and made furniture out of wood. After completing college, he opened a
restaurant that needed an interior. So, what did he do? Paul designed and built everything
inside himself, much of it out of wood.
Unfortunately, he had to close his restaurant in 2008 due to the recession. To relieve stress, Paul started to remodel his home, and this was when his friend suggested that he take some woodworking classes.
Paul enrolled in the Cerritos College Woodworking Manufacturing Technologies Program in 2012. When he completed the program in 2015, Woodworking Professor Tony Fortner heard about an opening for a temporary position as a woodshop teacher at Alhambra High School, and informed him. Paul got the job, and in no time, the administrators noticed his hard work. He was offered a full-time position at Mark Keppel High School.
Today, in addition to teaching, Paul organizes the Golden Hammer Award Banquet, and coaches a winning group of students in the Skills USA national competition at MKHS. He recently established an articulation agreement with Cerritos College where his current students can earn college credit for a woodworking class after completing one at their high school. Paul plans to continue teaching, inspire youth, and preserve the art of woodworking. Paul was recently featured in the Association of California School Administrators website.
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