High School Grad’s Parents Buy House She Spent 3 Years Making in Class — Now It’s Her Home!

This Colorado teenager helped build a home for a class project with her own hands, and now she can live in it!

Victoria Turner, 18, was one of more than 100 high school students who participated in building a 1,200-square-foot home as part of Liberty High School’s (LHS) building and construction class.

“It feels really good to be a part of this,” Victoria tells PEOPLE. The decision to apply for the program was also a personal one.

“Since I was seven or eight years old, I wanted to do construction because I wanted to be like my brother,” she says. “Four years ago, when I realized that I could be part of the class where we are building a house, I thought it would be a good idea. So I applied.”

The home that Victoria Turner and other high school students from Academy District 20 in Colorado built together as part of a project spearheaded by Liberty High School.

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For about three years, Victoria and her fellow students from several other Academy School District 20 high schools performed various tasks to complete the construction.

“I mostly did a lot of carpentry, which is the baseboard and that kind of thing,” says Victoria, who also did most of the plumbing, installed some drywall and worked on the exterior of the house.

“We would build a house for three hours a day, but we did it every other day, so six to nine hours a week,” she adds about the time commitment.

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When the project was almost finished, Victoria’s parents decided to buy the house, much to her surprise.

“Last year, I overheard our student relationship and Mr. Hernandez talking about some guy who wanted to buy it,” Victoria tells PEOPLE. “I joked then that it would be the biggest take-home project my mom ever bought.”

But Victoria says her mum replied: “Actually, I’m interested in that.”

“So I brought it up to Mr. Hernandez and he told me he’d rather our family have it,” she says.

The interior of the house in the construction of which former high school student Victoria Turner took part.

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The home was finally completed this month and is due to be transferred to Victoria’s parents’ property in January. During a recent ceremony at Liberty High School, Victoria was even presented with the keys to the new house she and her sister will live in.

“It’s pretty expensive these days, so we won’t have to rent an apartment or anything like that,” she says. “It’s really nice to have your own little place.”

The project that Victoria and the other students worked on will also not be a one-off: another house building project is planned to start next year. “I think it’s wonderful that District 20 allows this opportunity for people who don’t want to go to college, to get a chance to maybe get a trade to actually make a living,” says Mr. Turner, Victoria’s father.

Victoria Turner (C), who will live in the house she helped build, and her family.

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Victoria, who graduated in May, now has a job at a local roofing company.

“One of my co-workers who’s been roofing for 30 years told me I’m only the second woman he’s seen doing this,” she says. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Being a woman in construction is a great path,” she adds. “Changing the workforce would be great for changing the world for the future.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education