Joseph Kysiak

Water. Pipes. Screws. Sinks.

These are commonplace throughout thousands of homes in Coppell. However, they hold memories and a future for Coppell High School senior Joseph Kysiak.

Entering the second semester of his senior year, Kysiak decided to get into plumbing, helping his father, Peter Kysiak, with a call when he was recovering from knee surgery by fixing a loose toilet flapper.

“I went over there and I did the repair by myself, and I was happy with that experience,” Joseph said. “I was happy that I got to put a smile on this old lady’s face.”

Joseph grew up around plumbing, seeing his father work as a plumber since he was a child.

“He’s been an inspiration to me my whole life since I’ve always gone on plumbing calls with him, even when I was a child in elementary school, middle school and still, to this day, I go on plumbing calls with him and help him out,” Joseph said.

Although Joseph sees most people around him heading into higher education, he is confident in his decision to embrace plumbing.

“I was very shocked to see the difference in the ratio of people going to college and people doing non-college paths,” Joseph said. “I don’t feel bad that I’m not going to college, and I don’t feel like I’m going to fail if I don’t go to college.”

Mr. Kysiak thinks Joseph’s exposure to plumbing has made him more comfortable with the trade.

“Joseph saw his father make a living doing it and being of service to people,” Mr. Kysiak said. “When someone has a plumbing problem, it’s usually an emergency or they’re very frantic. He understands that when we get there, things are a mess, but when we leave, everything is fixed and people are extremely appreciative of the service that a plumber provides.”

Although initially experiencing a learning curve, Joseph finds plumbing rewarding because of the ability to improve people’s quality of life.

“It’s definitely challenging when you first start plumbing, and it’s a challenge to get the hang of a bunch of different aspects and a bunch of different parts,” Joseph said. “But, I really like plumbing, because I love doing it for other people and I love putting a smile on other people’s faces.”

His decision has been met with support from his family, who appreciate his ability to think sensibly about his future.

“I think he’s very mature in the way that he’s looking at what he wants to do with his future and what he wants to build for himself,” Joseph’s aunt Myra Hawkins said.

After graduation, Joseph plans to start an apprenticeship with Apex Plumbing in Richardson.  Joseph hopes to obtain his plumbing license and start his own plumbing business in DFW in the future.

Echo Stull Law

Death is often a morbid topic — avoided, stowed away.

However, it’s a topic that fascinates Coppell High School senior Echo Stull Law, who hopes to get into mortuary.   

“Death has never really scared me; it’s more of a natural thing,” Stull Law said.

Stull Law has always been creative. She has been involved in art since age 3, and her paintings are featured across her family’s rental properties in Texas and Florida. Another hobby of hers is stitching, beginning at age 5, modifying her clothes and making costumes.

“She’s freethinking, she’s incredibly talented artistically, she has always been very independent and she’s very motivated,” Echo’s mother Shelly Stull-Coffee said.

Echo wishes to be in the “back of the house,” helping prepare the deceased for funerals, and make sure they are presentable for the last time others will see them, giving her the chance to apply her artistic skills.

“She wants to be in the back, taking care of the body and dressing them, and I Immediately noticed she was very excited that I knew about it,” Echo’s friend Natalie Plauche said.

Law has also struggled with borderline personality disorder (BPD), receiving her diagnosis in November.

“I have really bad attachment issues and abandonment issues, and I tend to freak out over tiny little things, but ever since I’ve been medicated with antipsychotics, it’s helped clear that brain fog of ‘everything is life or death,’” Echo said.

Seeing medical professionals and therapists who have cared about her has also inspired Echo to be in a field where she serves others.

“Knowing someone cared, knowing that someone was ready to give the green light to whoever the man in charge was to help was like a godsend,” Echo said. “It was a godsend that I absolutely needed.”

Echo finds BPD as a strength in the mortuary, as it allows her to understand extreme emotions better. This strengthens her ability to console people dealing with loss.

“Seeing other people have such heightened emotions, I know how to deal with them, and I know what they’re going through because that’s my everyday life,” Echo said. “When people who don’t know what it’s like to feel like that or grieve or they haven’t been through grief — that’s hard to do.”

Mortuary can be a complex business, and Plauche hopes Echo is able to navigate the industry with her skills.

“I hope she does truly find joy in this job, because it gets very rough, and her being so passionate about it is awesome,” Plauche said. “Echo is pretty cool, and she would absolutely thrive in this business.” 

Echo plans to attend the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services, where she will obtain certifications to work at a funeral home.

“I am excited to start school again, because it’s something I’m very interested in and I will get to do it every day,” Echo said.

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