This past week, a senior at Shelby County High School wore his best shirt and pair of jeans in preparation for an interview for a career he had been dreaming of for years. He was excited and nervous with a voice that was a little shaky, but he was ready. Cameron Chesser has been in the Machine Tool program for 3 years at the Shelby County Area Technology Center. Some of his family members have worked at voestalpine — Roll Forming, and he had heard great things about the company and wanted to work there too. As he introduced himself to their Engineering Manager, Matt Lyons, he was proud to show him his three industry certifications that he had earned in the classroom: Job Planning, Benchwork, and Layout, Measurement, Materials, & Safety, and Milling I. As they showed him around the facility, he got so excited and those nerves went away as he gazed at all the equipment he had become familiar with in the classroom. The lathes and mills that he had practiced on at school were being used to make actual parts for airplanes. This story is exactly why Career and Technical Education is so important, because it allows for students to get so excited for the opportunity outside of classroom walls and in the real world.
Kayla Tingle is a senior from Martha Layne Collins High School, and is currently interning with Shelby County Conservation where she is using what she learned in the Agriculture pathway. She has experienced going out on farms in Shelby County and taking soil samples, and having real conversations with farmers in our community. Kayla knows she wants to pursue a career in agriculture and this has allowed her networking opportunities and exposure to a potential career.
Noelia Lara Salas, a senior at Martha Layne Collins High School, is currently interning with Weichert Realtors. She has been in the Business pathway at the Area Technology Center and wants to be a real estate agent in the future. What she learned inside the classroom has helped her prepare to become a professional and handle these situations. Currently, she has helped with showing properties and even with closings, which she never would have been able to do without those years of preparation in the classroom.
Lane Bidwell is a senior at Shelby County High School and he is completing the culinary pathway. He has found his passion and he is thriving. He is in the jumpstart program with Sullivan University, which allows him to take courses that count towards his postsecondary plan. After graduation in May, Bidwell will continue at Sullivan as a full time student. One day he hopes to travel the world and immerse himself into cultures, and learn about the different types of food. Eventually, he would like to open up his own restaurant. (Fingers crossed, it is here in Shelby County.)
This is only four stories out of the hundreds. Career and Technical Education is changing the future for a lot of our students. The exposure to our pathways is allowing students to dream big, accomplish goals, and take great steps toward a career. Gaby Cantha, senior at Shelby County High School, says, “Early Childhood classes have changed my life by being the guide to my future. Through this pathway I learned how to care for myself and others, including babies, to the best of my ability. But more than that I learned the passion and responsibilities it takes to make it in the real world today. It showed me that I want to be a Family Consumer Science teacher, and that is the degree I plan on pursuing at Eastern Kentucky University.”
The list of programs and pathways can be shared over and over again, as well as the certifications being a highlight to admire. These things matter, but the part that speaks volumes is the stories that come from these students. Because of Career and Technical Education, these students will graduate high school and be ready to take on what comes next. Shelby County Public Schools will continue celebrating Career and Technical Education for the month of February, and we will always be celebrating the success of our students!
