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Teen of the Week: Williamstown’s Julian Guckert plans to get down to business

By James Dobbs 4 min read

WILLIAMSTOWN -- Williamstown Middle/High School student Julian Guckert dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and starting his own business.

Guckert is planning to attend either West Virginia University, or Ohio University after graduation. He said OU made a recent update allowing Wood County students to receive in-state tuition. He is interested in majoring in business, and knows both universities have good business programs.

"I want to become an entrepreneur," he said. "I'd like to find something close to me that I like that can make other people happy, and attempt to market it and improve other people's lives like that."

Guckert has been playing the drums since the fifth grade. He chose to play the instrument for the creativity it presents.

"It's a very creative instrument," he said. "You don't have to follow a certain set of music you can just make your own anytime, anywhere."

He has been a member of the Williamstown marching band for five years, and is the assistant drum captain to Chancey Roberts. Guckert is in charge of organizing the band trailer, loading the drums onto it, and making sure everyone has their equipment. He said he enjoys the band for the friends he has made along the way.

"It's good to build relationships with other people that enjoy building a skill of their own," he said.

Guckert is a 3.95 GPA student, who has taken advanced math classes since the tenth grade. His favorite subjects to study are math and English. He enjoys how difficult math can be to solve, and the creative aspects of writing.

Guckert is a member of the West Virginia University at Parkersburg early college program, which allows high school students to earn college credits while earning their high school diploma. Last year, he took two college English classes, psychology and sociology. This year he is taking two more college English classes. He has been on the Dean's List two years in a row, for receiving at least a 3.5 GPA.

Guckert's brother and sister participated in the program when they were in high school and encouraged him to follow in their footsteps to start his college career off early.

"It gives you insight into what college is really like," he said. "I enjoyed the difficulty a lot more, because in other classes you're catering to everyone's needs, whereas with this early college program, it's an online class that is catered specifically to each person. So it feels like a more personal experience with your teachers than it would in a normal experience."

Guckert spends time volunteering with the band and the National Honor Society. Last year, he worked with the band to help clean up trash on the Marietta side of the river after the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival.

"It makes you feel a little different to go out and do something that you don't do all the time," he said. "And when you know that it makes someone else happy for you doing it then it makes it a little easier to do."

Guckert works at DaVinci's in Williamstown, and has been there for two years. He works in the salad room and helps tray up and organize the food. He said he will start working as a server as soon as he turns 18.

"It can be high stress, but that's something you have to master as a person," he said. "Anything you come into in life as a person will be very stressful and you have to figure out how to cater to that based on your situation."

In his spare time, Guckert enjoys listening to music. He also likes to practice drumming, and learn how to play music from some of his favorite musicians.

James Dobbs can be reached at jdobbs@newsandsentinel.com

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