Mackenzie Wright doesn't expect to spend much time sitting behind a desk.
The new principal of the Carroll County Area Technology Center plans to keep a pair of work boots and a change of clothes in her office, just in case an opportunity arises to step into the welding shop, automotive lab or another classroom.
"These are my people," Wright said with a laugh. "Dirty fingernails and greasy jeans. Anyone who knows me, knows those are my people."
That connection isn't something she developed after becoming an educator. It's who she has always been.
Raised by an operating room nurse and a farmer, Wright grew up around skilled trades. Her grandfather owned an automotive business, her brother built a career as a professional welder and she competed on her high school's welding team. Today, she and her husband, Josh, also own a small business in Carroll County.
"I've got just enough experience to be dangerous in almost everything," she joked. "When I look at my background and my family, I feel like I connect with every pathway in this building."
Becoming the new principal of the Carroll County Area Technology Center feels less like beginning a new job and more like coming home to Wright.
After spending the past year with Jones Brothers Farms and previously serving eight years as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Carroll County High School, she is returning to familiar students, trusted colleagues and a style of education she has believed in throughout her 14-year career.
"Kids don't come to this building to sit and get," she said. "They come here to get dirty and be up and moving around. They want to be engaged with conversation and non-traditional learning. That's why I think I will fit here well."
The opportunity to return came unexpectedly.
After changes at Jones Brothers Farms led her to consider her next chapter, Wright saw the announcement that former ATC Principal Kirk Brooks had been named principal of Carroll County Middle School. As the mother of a middle school student, she was excited to see another strong leader stepping into that role. Then another thought crossed her mind.
"Wait," she recalled thinking. "That means the vocational school will need a principal."
She reached out to trusted friends and former colleagues before deciding she was ready to pursue the position.
Wright says her year away from education gave her something she didn't expect: perspective.
"I needed the break," she said. "I needed time with my kids. I needed to learn where my boundaries were and how to protect being a mom without losing myself completely. I'm excited to be back, but I'm also excited to have that balance."
Although Wright is stepping into the principal's office, she has no plans to make sweeping changes.
"I might be called the principal, but I'm not the queen of this building," she said with a smile. "I'm coming into a building with experienced people who are already doing their jobs incredibly well. You don't become the number three career and technical center in Kentucky without a great staff."
The Carroll County Area Technology Center earned that distinction last school year, ranking third among Kentucky's 50 area technology centers.
Instead, Wright plans to spend her first weeks listening, learning and visiting classrooms while leaning on the experienced educators who have helped build one of the state's premier career and technical education programs. She also hopes to strengthen the partnerships that make the ATC successful throughout the five counties it serves.
"I still have half my career left," Wright said. "I could see myself being here for the next 15 years. My heart has always been in helping kids succeed, watching them grow and connecting them to opportunities that will change their lives."