Mayo HS grad chooses career over college

Written by Renee Berg

What a superstar!

Dylan Theobald is graduating from Mayo High School on June 1, and already has a job lined up.

He’ll be a property manager at Realty Growth Inc. in Rochester, transitioning from his current post there as assistant property manager. It all started with an Instagram message he sent to RGI co-owner Bucky Beeman , which turned into a coffee meeting. Later, shadowing. Later, mentoring and then a part-time job. Now, this. A full-time job awaits Theobald after high school.

Beeman said it was humbling to hear from a youth interested in his career. Theobald was clear and interested in learning, Beeman said. “Dylan showed incentive,” he said.

The RGI team later created a position for Theobald after the high schooler said he’d be interested in working there. “It just seemed like a natural fit,” Beeman said.

Theobald is excited to get to work full-time at RGI after his June 1 graduation.

“It’s always something new,” he said. “It’s never the same thing. You never know what you’re coming into every day.”

What he brings to table is that he’s always “trying to grow and be better than I was before,” he said. “That’s my goal everyday, and to learn something new. I’m still absorbing.”

Beeman said other young people can learn from Theobald. “It pays to reach out,” he said. “This went from an Instagram message to a career.”

And while Theobald had an initial naysayer about his post-graduation plans, he eventually won her over with his zeal, passion and drive. His mom delayed college after her high school graduation and regretted that decision, Theobald said. She wanted something different for him.

“The more and more my parents saw I was into it, the more and more accepting they were of me doing it,” he said of his RGI work. “It was something for my mom to wrap her head around and become more accepting. Now my parents are very excited about it.”

Beeman said he isn’t surprised by Theobald’s early success.

“There’s no boundary when it comes to talent,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. If people are interested in something, passion can help them on their career path. That’s how I built mine, and it’s led to a fruitful career that I’m glad I pursued.”