Sumter's Next Generation, presented by SumterEDGE: Sumter High's Caden Pack finds his way behind the wheel of classic cars

It is said that the birth of muscle cars, sports coupes and luxury sedans between the 1960s to 1990s symbolized an era of youth, rebellion and American spirit.

It's a legacy that has traveled across states, counties, cities and generations - landing in the passenger seat of 16-year-old Caden Pack's 1971 Ford Mustang.

The Sumter High School junior spends his mornings at Sumter Career and Technology Center, tightening bolts and revitalizing hot rods as part of the center's Auto Collision program. Cars weren't always Caden's calling, at least not until life shifted gears.

When he moved with his great-grandfather around age 5, he first laid eyes on an old truck that he was determined to revive. He bugged the elder about it until the pair were elbow deep into the vessel's engine. It was then that something sparked, and it wasn't just a spark plug.

"I can remember cranking up the truck for the first time and hearing the rumble of it," he reminisced. "Cars have sentimental value to me; even if I get a new car - or an old car that's new to me - it always reminds me of him."

His patriarch passed away years later at the age of 88. The memories would mean more to him as his days at school were spent waiting for the chance to get back reviving engines. That is until his passion for seeking the rumble steered him to the career center's Auto Collision program.

The program is designed to provide students with a "hands-on" approach to a skilled trade and spans their junior and senior years. The first year incorporates safety and tool usage and basic panel straightening. The second level explores painting, structural body repairs, complex damage analysis and stage painting. Caden and his classmates are currently learning the basics, and its introductory pace is a welcomed refresher and a way to sharpen his skills for his own personal projects - including on his Mustang.

His '71 Mustang Mach 1 in its original Grabber Blue paint is the first car he bargained for and bought on his own. It took a few years to convince the previous owner to let him put in his bid for it, but the keys would eventually come home with him. It has its fair share of quirks - a dent on the bumper from a previous fender bender, a dimple in its right rear panel and no heat, air or radio. He's addressed some on his own, not having to sit at a mechanic shop for hours but rather with the knowledge he's gained through experience and the expertise of program instructor Dusty Hodge.

His mornings spent learning alongside his fellow classmates have allowed him to hone skills he learned as a novice and perfect them to be professional. The "hands-on" approach to learning has proved beneficial to understanding the grit needed to utilize sandpaper to its full potential and that the mechanics behind reasonably priced paint guns can produce top-dollar paint jobs. With all certainty, he believes this program can help him turn a junkyard heap into someone's next dream car.

"As soon as I get out of school, I could go to a junkyard, find a car that's relatively nice and know what it resells for. You get out the dent and dings in it, paint it again [and] if you bought it for $2,000 or $3,000, you can sell it for $120,000," he explained.

Caden, still in his first year of the program, is determined to soak up all the information, experience and connections it can bring him. To his younger peers who may be looking to hone their hobby into a lucrative trade, he encouraged them to get it in gear and give it a try.

"It can teach you a lot of life skills, and it's very useful," he expressed. "I think we got a wonderful teacher. He's a down-to-earth guy, and he wants to teach you, and that's a big thing."

"I think this is a great program. I can't think of one bad thing to say about it. If it were me, every time, I'd pick this [program]."