On March 10, 2016, the Career Advancement Academy (CAA) in collaboration with the Center for Innovative Practices through Hip Hop Education & Research (CIPHER) welcomed nearly 100 high school guests to Skyline College for the second ever Career Technical Education (CTE) Day. The day featured keynote speaker Dr. Christopher Emdin, a science advocate who utilizes techniques for self-expression and engagement through the use of hip-hop in the classroom. Following the guest speaker, students from Baden, El Camino, Peninsula, and Capuchino High School and their counselors toured three of the ten participating CTE programs, enjoyed lunch and a raffle hosted in the Automotive Department, and heard from dynamic college guest speakers.
Career Technical Education Day at Skyline College provides local high school students, instructors, and counselors an immersive transition-to-college experience by including campus tours, program tours, college preparedness workshops, and guest lecturers. Specifically, CTE Day seeks to expose students to college and engage students in Career Technical Education through the Career Advancement Academy, learning communities, and other CTE program offerings. After the event, many high school students emailed the Career Advancement Academy their observations with one student, Mareana, sharing: “Skyline College was so nice and friendly. The people there and the teachers that gave us a tour were really kind. I’m definitely looking forward to applying for the cosmetology program. It’s really cool!” While another student, Javier, wrote: “thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience your campus. I learned a lot from this and all the classes I went to.”
This event was made possible thanks to generous support from the President’s Innovation Fund, which supports innovative events and programming at Skyline College and by the hard work and dedication of CTE Day Committee Members: Soledad McCarthy, Lauren Ford, Alina Varona, Jeremy Evangelista, Pcyeta Stroud, and Nate Nevado, along with support from Monique Hernandez and Troy Barros. Special thanks to Kevin Chak and the Skyline College bookstore who generously donated raffle prizes for our high school guests and to the dedicated facilities team who ensured the event ran smoothly.
The CAAs connect students to higher wage careers and opportunities in higher education by increasing foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics while enrolling students in career technical training programs. Currently, the Career Advancement Academy has programs in Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood Education, and Legal Careers with additional high school bridge programming at Baden High School and Peninsula High School. For more information about the Career Advancement Academy and related programs contact Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaJ@smccd.edu.
Article by Alina Varona | Photo by William Nacouzi
