At the ripe old age of 16, many high schoolers are called to choose a career path to follow for the rest of their lives. While the task is quite daunting for most, they aren’t entirely alone in completing it: FISD’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center is working to provide students with a variety of technical experience in specified career paths. Originally opened in 2008 and expanded in 2024, the CTE Center offers over 25 different multi-year career pathways, from culinary arts to sports broadcasting to cybersecurity, that provide students with hands-on experience and technical expertise from members of various fields.
One such field that has become popular is the architecture program which focuses on building and structure design. Sophomore and Architecture II student Edwin Carter explained why he first joined the program.
“Personally, I’ve always been into design, but the specific push for architecture probably came when I actually realized that there was a program, because I didn’t really know that FISD offered one,” Carter said. “I thought it was cool that there was a specialized course for architecture, so I figured I should try it out.”
The CTE Center also offers a comprehensive health science program. This includes a Health Science Clinical (CNA) course which allows students to intern and care for real patients. Junior CNA student Valerie Knox explained her motivations for participating in the course.
“I joined because I love caring for others and I’m interested in working in medicine in the future,” Knox said. “I learned of the great experiences we get to have in this class, as I was very excited to join.”
Unlike regular classes which follow standard informational curriculums, most CTE courses provide tactile learning experiences and active demonstrations when covering their topics. In particular, the center’s engineering department has attracted many students due to its engaging and creativity-based projects. One student, senior Tanvi Maddi, gave insight into the course workload.
“When I took Intro to Engineering Design, our main goal was to understand the basics that go into engineering and the process to it,” Maddi explained. “We focused a lot on 3D modeling using a program called Fusion360 which allowed us to model engineering projects and helped with the design process.”
Likewise, the architecture program asks students to create physical models of building designs, and even puts them to the test. Carter explained the current focus of the course.
“Right now, we’re taking aspects from Architecture I and just diving a lot more in depth with them,” Carter said. “In Arc I, we were mostly learning about the basics, and now we’re actually taking those basics and putting them into actual practical settings. We’re in the middle of our arts district project where we’re tasked with creating a museum for an artist and the pieces that we’ve chosen.”
With all of the unique aspects involved in each study, it’s easy to see the appeal of joining a program. Knox listed the benefits of joining the nursing program.
“This program gives members, whether they decide to pursue healthcare in the future or not, an opportunity to learn important skills to care for others in a real, impactful way and skills needed for future employment,” Knox said. “It gives you experience caring for real-life patients, allowing you to improve your communication skills, grow in responsibility, and become a more caring person.”
With the engineering course being so popular across the district, Maddi explained the reasons to join.
“I think that people should join the program if they have ever been curious about engineering, and enjoy project-based learning because it really allows you to see and understand the work of an engineer,” Maddi explained. “The program helped me gain lots of technical skills since for many of the projects we have to use a variety of different materials such as different computer softwares.”
The center certainly has a lot going for its students in each field, and the diversity of courses brings something to the table for everyone. No matter which course you choose to take, you gain valuable knowledge and experience, not just in your selected field, but in life, as they help you improve communication, responsibility, and critical thinking. Whether you want to cook tasty entrées, capture terrible escapees, or construct timeless environments, the CTE Center has something for you.
