SANDPOINT — As a senior in high school, Luke Uzabel has already gone through two background checks and signed non-disclosure agreements for his work in the technology field.

Working on computers or in certain areas of a company, he may be exposed to sensitive information, thus the background checks and NDAs. Uzabel has not only done internship work for the Lake Pend Oreille School District, he is currently finishing up a summer internship with Bonner County to get going in his new role at Kochava this week.

“It has been really awesome and something I have been looking forward to, kind of just moving around and getting to see a bunch of different places,” Uzabel said, adding that while some of the stuff he will be doing at Kochava is similar to his work at the county, there are a lot of differences as well. “So I think it will be good to broaden my horizons of how different places operate.”

Gordon Brown, technical support engineer at Kochava, said the company had some “really good” candidates to choose from, which made the decision very difficult.

“I liked Luke’s previous experience, his answers to questions on motivation, availability, confidence, and he is well spoken,” Brown said.

As for his previous experience, Uzabel said the county internship was brought to his attention at the end of last year by Alex Gray, information systems technology teacher in the career-technical education department at Sandpoint High School. Uzabel said it was between the county and the school district, but ultimately he decided the county would be an “awesome” opportunity. The process of becoming an intern with the county was a little bit different, he said, as he didn’t have a sit-down interview. Instead, he was given a tour and a few questions were asked, which he said was a low-stress way for them to get to know him a little better, and for him to see the environment where he would be working. This also led to him feeling a little more comfortable during his interview for Kochava, which he said he excited about.

“It’s a great opportunity,” he said.

As he wraps up things with the county, Uzabel said he will be doing much of the same work at Kochava, helping out with the technology department, doing support tickets and helping set up new users and new computers.

Uzabel said he knows he wants a career in the technology field, though he hasn’t narrowed it down just yet.

“It is really hard to settle on one thing,” he said. “That is the awesome thing about these internships is you get to see so much of every part of the IT field, whether it is software related stuff or hardware stuff, it really does help you figure out where your interests lie.”

Uzabel has earned the title of IT operations specialist through the Computing Technology Industry Association, or CompTIA. Gray said it is a vendor-neutral, industry-wide advisory committee that comes up with the standards for what the different industry certifications should look like.

Uzabel’s mom, Charis Uzabel, said she has also been “incredibly impressed with the range of certifications that are available through the high school’s CTE program.

“And these are professional level certifications — it’s fantastic,” she said.

Charis Uzabel said her son has always had an interest in technology that started with gaming.

“We have a family of gamers, so he was in good company,” she said. “But then he got into what it takes to make the game happen and how, perhaps, to increase the speed on a computer by tinkering around with it.”

In addition, Charis Uzabel said her dad is a “computer nerd,” so of course she married one as well. Luke Uzabel’s father, Samuel Uzabel is a physician who also builds computers as a hobby, and said he has never purchased a computer off the shelf.

“(Luke) became really interested in hardware — specifications of different hardware components and how they impacted global system performance, what was the bottleneck, what parts mattered more than others …” Samuel Uzabel said. “He has helped several of his friends build systems. He picked every part and helped them build their computers. It is fun to see how excited he gets.”

Luke Uzabel said he has also helped the SHS eSports Club build their desktops. The students in the club who are interested also help him with the projects as well, he said.

“It has been cool to kind of help develop that club,” Luke Uzabel said.

The teen has taken Gray’s classes all four years of high school, which Uzabel and his parents said has contributed greatly to his success in the field of technology.

In addition to the technology piece, Gray said he aims to work with students on different skills such as organization and communication as well. It helps give students confidence and, along with the internships, the experience to apply for jobs, he said. Gray said he has been able to work with the local library, Kochava, the school district and others to give students that work experience.

Gray said he also tries to make sure his students have a familiar, accessible place to do their certification testing, because not everyone can make it to Coeur d’Alene at specific times. So if the student wants to earn their certification, Gray said he will eliminate any barrier he can for them.

“By breaking down those barriers and giving the kids more opportunities to gain experience, you are going to have more options,” Gray said. “... I give them all the tools to be successful, and it is the ones like Luke who go above and beyond and earn the industry certifications, which are totally optional — it takes extra effort.”

Gray said he is excited to see how much his student has excelled in his classroom over the years. As for what got the teen where he is, Gray said, it comes down to the time Uzabel spent in Gray’s classes, the connections he made, and the extra effort he has put in.

“A lot of people have confidence in Luke and his suggestions, opinions, what he thinks — and he has earned it,” Gray said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.