Since junior high, woodshop teacher Allen Prescott has loved woodworking.

But circumstances did not allow Prescott to pursue his dream of becoming a woodshop teacher — until now. Prescott replaced former woodshop teacher Ken Paulson, who retired at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

“I wanted to be a woodshop teacher when I left high school. I had graduated, I had taken woodshop and auto shop all through high school,” Prescott said. “That’s just who I was. I’m mechanically inclined. That’s just how my mind works.”

However, Prescott said when he came out of high school, woodshops in schools began to be closed down.

“It was within a couple years after I had graduated high school that LA Unified had started closing the shops. So that dream of becoming a wood shop teacher was stifled,” Prescott said.

So Prescott said he turned to the next best thing.

“Out of high school I basically got into construction — apartment houses, framing, doing that with wood,” Prescott said. “Later on I got into automotive and auto body and paint … because I had a background in that kind of stuff.”

Prescott first took a job teaching at West Valley Occupational Center, an adult education facility in Woodland Hills. After he left that job, Prescott worked with Models of America, where he handled cars shipped over from Japan.

“It wasn’t until I came back here and I was working at the district office and I was a building engineer for the schools, that I found out Mr. Paulson was retiring,” Prescott said.

Prescott said this reminded him of his long-forgotten dream.

“It was at that time that this light went on and reminded me of a long time ago, back in woodshop, of always wanting to be that guy… woodshop teachers, my auto shop teachers, those were the guys that I grew up and wanted to be like,” Prescott said. “And now I’m here.”

Prescott said he also loves the outdoors.

“I like to mountain bike. I like to go hiking. I like camping. Me and my daughter do a lot of camping up in the Sierras, Yosemite, we go with families up to Bridgeport, Mammoth once a year — at least,” Prescott said.

Prescott said he feels grateful for this opportunity.

“If you believe in fate, it is what led me to this opportunity,” Prescott said. “It opened doors, with getting the job at the district office, and then this opening. It really led me to where I am today.”