Mill Creek resident spends summer in the trenches

While his friends are still sleeping at 7 a.m., Christian Luh is knee-deep in pond water.

Even though he is on summer vacation from the Pinnacle Academy’s Career Development Program, Luh is still waking up early.

On Aug. 5, he cleared overgrown trees hanging near the pavilion in Summerfield, after Pedro Gomez and Alejandro Olivera chopped them down. Even as sweat drips down his forehead and onto his bright orange Operations T-shirt, Luh still smiles.

“Man, this is heavy,” Luh says, laughing while stretching to toss a tree branch that’s taller than he is into a trash bin.

From 7 to 11 a.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, the 20-year-old is helping maintain the ponds, trees, neighborhood hardscape and other aesthetics of Lakewood Ranch through an internship through Lakewood Ranch Town Hall’s Operations Department.

He’s logging community service hours for school, a requirement for attending Pinnacle Academy.

Throughout the internship, which began June 29 and continues through Aug. 19, Luh has helped stock local ponds with carp, fish that eat algae in ponds.

He didn’t realize how heavy the 1-pound fish become after loading 10 per acre into a range of ponds, he says.

Cleaning guardhouses in Ranch communities, helping fill pot holes near the dog park in Greenbrook with shells and planting flowers alongside Gardeners Out East at the new butterfly garden have also kept Luh busy as he works alongside different operations employees each day.

 “I love being outside,” Luh says. “We’ve seen alligators and deer, but no hogs luckily. They’ll chase ya.”

Through the career program, Luh, who works full time at Publix as a bagger and supply stocker, is learning interviewing skills, how to complete job applications in the classroom, while also gaining real world experience through his internship.

Now, the fishing enthusiast — who has caught more bull, hammerhead and tiger sharks than he can remember — is possibly prepping for a career in the great outdoors.

Ordetx believes an agriculture-related career could be a good match for Luh.

“I hear all of Christian’s fishing stories while we’re working together on the school’s garden,” Ordetx says. “I have heard all about what an outdoorsman he is.”

Luh received the internship because of a growing relationship between Pinnacle Academy and Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Operations.

Director of Operations Ryan Heise has been working with Pinnacle since early 2014, when he helped the school install a garden behind the pre-kindergarten building.

 “This opportunity is a good resume builder for Christian,” Heise says. “And, there may be a (job) opportunity for him in Lakewood Ranch in the future.”

But, Luh still hasn’t pinpointed what field he wants to enter after he receives his certificate from Pinnacle in more than a year.

 “I might want to be an Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, fishing captain or work outside,” Luh says. “This (internship) has been fun, and I don’t mind waking up early for it. But, it would be funny to go bang on my friends’ windows at 6:30 a.m. when I’m getting ready to start my day.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at amandas@yourobserver.com.