As the school year wrapped up in June, rising Lamar High School senior Ariana Valdez pondered her future.
The 17-year-old had been tapped in the spring for a financial internship sponsored by the Smart Financial Credit Union branch on the Lamar campus. As she embraced the program, her perspective shifted.
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All HISD students in grades K-12 and their parents are invited this weekend to attend When I Grow Up 2021, a virtual informative day of career exploration.
WIGU 2021 is a virtual experience taking place on Saturday April 17 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Beginnig at 10 a.m., the WIGU landing page will be separated by school grade level and will consist of carefully curated career exploration content to provide K-12 students with information, coding activities, career exploration, videos, job search information, and a video competition that ALL campuses and CTE pathways may compete in.
See this flyer for more information.
February is Career & Technical Education Month, and graduating seniors have the opportunity through HISD’s Career Readiness department to explore career opportunities.
Students can network with industry partners in the Gulf Coast Region, expand their knowledge of careers in the military and aviation industry, and engage with business leaders to hear about out-of-the-box careers that will help them earn more.
Career Readiness is offering three mini sessions in February to expand, engage, and explore career opportunities. These sessions take place in the evenings from 5-6 p.m. on Feb. 4, Feb. 11, and Feb. 18. See this flyer for more information and to register.
Continue readingPartnership with Marek Construction offers dual credits, industry credentials
Houston Independent School District Career and Technical Education students signed commitments on Tuesday to complete a two-year Marek Construction Academy program at Houston Community College.
The commitment ceremony took place during a physically distanced drive-in event in the HCC Southeast Campus parking lot. Students received commendations from executive leadership and then made their way to the stage individually to sign their commitment forms.
“We are proud of all of you. Hone your skills, learn your trade and strive to be the best,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “As you grow in this career, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you made a great choice to invest in yourself and an excellent program.”
Continue readingParents who would still like to apply for a school choice program for the 2021-2022 school year have until Friday, Feb. 26 to do so.
After all applications in Phase 1 have been offered, eligible Phase 2 students who meet a program’s qualifications will be considered in the order in which their application was submitted, should the program have space available.
Any applications for students who live outside the HISD boundaries will not be considered until Phase 3, even if the application was submitted during Phase 2.
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Program a drone. Track movements of an Amazon delivery robot. Animate greeting cards. These are just a few of the ways students can participate in Computer Science Education Week on Dec. 7-13.
Computer Science Education Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity in computer science education, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners in the field.
HISD’s Office of Career Readiness, along with DroneBlocks, Code Avengers, and Amazon Future Engineer-endorsed BootUp and CoderZ, have created computational thinking activities to inspire future computer science engineers.
Continue readingApply by March 22 for a full career and technical education scholarship
Students considering a career in construction, transportation, nursing, or industrial technology may qualify for a full scholarship in one of these fields or many more. Local and national industry data show a need for highly skilled employees in high-growth jobs with great earning potential.
Since 2012, the Marvy Finger Family Foundation Scholarship has been awarding worthy HISD graduates full scholarships covering their two-year degree or certification program in these high-demand careers. This scholarship includes not just tuition but books, fees, etc.
This year, 100 full scholarships are available from Finger for a career and technical degree or certificate program in the fields of automotive, construction, digital information and technology, industrial technology, health science, law, logistics, manufacturing, and transportation distribution. Included in these fields are HVAC, pipefitting, cybersecurity, welding, maritime transportation, and more (see application for a complete list).
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HISD students are invited to attend a series of virtual lunch and learn programs presented by the HISD Office of School Choice in partnership with The Ion of Houston and Pumps and Pipes.
The first event, Careers in Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship, will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, and will feature speakers from Xecta Digital Labs, Plug & Play Tech Center, and The Ion.
Continue readingHISD middle and high school students are invited to attend a virtual Wellness Fair presented Next Level Urgent Care, Jones Futures Academy and Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas.
The wellness fair will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. During the fair, students will have access to workforce readiness opportunities, as well as an opportunity to meet and interact with health care professionals without having to leave their campus.
Continue readingFor Booker T. Washington High School sophomore Rebecca Stansell, the first day of face-to-face instruction for the 2020-21 school year had some added emotion – and even a few nerves.
HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan was scheduled to visit the historic Independence Heights neighborhood campus on the first day of face-to-face instruction, where she would be greeted by Stansell and fellow engineering students with a customized face shield designed to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
“It was thrilling, but a little nerve-racking because I had never met the superintendent. There was a lot of moving around, and a lot of people.” Stansell said. “We assembled her face shield last week, and I think she was happy – and even a little surprised – to see that we customized it by putting her name on the shield.”
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