LINCOLN -- Loud music plays over speakers as the sound engineer tries to get the levels just right for a rock show taking place in a few hours at The Bay.

Just like any job, the stress begins as the deadline looms for the show at the mixed-use space at 2005 Y St. that's home to classrooms and a skate park.

But Miles Salazar keeps his composure. Salazar is a graduate of Bay High, the Lincoln Public Schools focus program at The Bay focused on content creation and emerging digital technology.

At 19 years old, Salazar already has real-world experience producing music shows in venues such as Bodega's Alley in downtown Lincoln to fall back on.

"He's competitive. I know I don't have to worry about him, he keeps his cool," said Cayleen Green, youth development specialist at The Bay.

Green mentors Salazar, trying to instill in him all she knows about the music industry. The rock show he is leading is one example of how The Bay tries to use hands-on experience to teach. Salazar is now part of The Bay's Gap Year program, an initiative for 18- to 24-year-olds who want to continue to build connections and experience with professionals in the creative industry of their choice.

Salazar's story is just one example of the impact the nonprofit devoted to youth development has had.

Co-founder Andrew Norman said the idea for The Bay came from trying to connect with underserved children in the community.

"The Bay is a space for young people to have their first 'aha!' moment. You know, from fashion to music to gaming to skateboarding," he said.

Along with podcast studios and a computer lab with VR technology, The Bay also houses a 12,000-square-foot indoor skate park.

"Music, fashion, skateboarding, those are just hooks," Norman said. "You learn so many transferable skills through those experiences, you build very important relationships, and you see what's out there, and you see what else you can do."

Letura Idigima, youth engagement director at The Bay, said that while some programs are designed for teens and young adults, there are plenty of activities for younger children as well.

During the summer, Goodwill teamed up with The Bay for a camp where children went into one of their stores and picked out items to make clothing -- such as turning a shower curtain into a dress.

"And at the end of the camp, we put on a fashion show for parents and guardians, so they get to see like, 'Oh, this is what my kid was doing from 8 to 4 p.m. at The Bay,'" Idigima said.

Other activities include hosting bake and craft sales, where Idigima says she hopes the children learn some entrepreneurial and customer-service skills.

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Through a partnership with LPS and local businesses, The Bay also formed Bay High, a focus program for high school juniors and seniors.

"We're not trying to build or help grow, necessarily professional musicians or professional skateboarders. It's more about giving young people that first bit of excitement, passion and confidence," Norman said.

Salazar brushed off Bay High when he first heard of the program.

"I really did not care about it too much, like it was just this business-oriented thing," he said.

But when a friend of his began attending Bay High, he told Salazar about the music program, which intrigued Salazar. Halfway through his junior year at Lincoln Southeast, Salazar began attending Bay High.

"I first got here, and it was kind of like that first-day-of-school-type of feeling," he said.

Salazar had jumped from school to school in Colorado and then in Lincoln. But he said the first-day-of-school jitters felt different at Bay High. It felt like home.

At Bay High, students are not only given the chance to explore their creative side, but they also work with businesses like Allo and Spreetail to get real-world experience.

"They get a lot of this hands-on experience and opportunities to build their portfolio directly in the classroom by doing real work, real-world projects," said Christina Oldfather, workforce education director at The Bay.

After staying at Bay High for his senior year, Salazar graduated. He arrived at a crossroads with the rest of his life on the horizon. He had an opportunity to move to Pennsylvania to learn how to build guitars or attend the Gap Year program at Bay High.

Salazar had already begun working on sound engineering with Green and enjoyed the work and what he was learning.

"I've gotten my feet wet at a few other places, like Bodegas, because of the Bay," he said.

Salazar decided to attend the Gap Year program, where he continues to learn how to produce shows and build connections in the industry.

The Bay strives to be as inclusive as possible for all who attend by not charging fees or having entrance qualifications. Anyone who is interested in their programs is welcome to contact them for more information. Information can also be found at www.thebay.org.

Norman said one focal point of The Bay is building young people's confidence.

"(The Bay) did help me out with gaining confidence. Like I came here, and they kind of told me, you can do whatever you want to do, as long as you just try to do it," Salazar said.

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