Scarborough High School student Christopher Velasquez hopes to turn his interest in computers into a viable career one day. The HISD senior now has a better idea of the available job opportunities in the computer industry thanks to a recent field trip to HISD’s Information Technology Department. “It’s really great to see people in action doing some of the things that I am learning in school,” said Velasquez.
The trip to the Hattie Mae White District Administration Building involved not only Velasquez but 60 of his classmates enrolled in Scarborough’s Futures Academy of Network and Computer Administration. As part of their coursework in the Academy, the students get hands-on experience in a high-demand, high growth industry and can earn industry certifications as well as an Associate of Science degree.
“It’s great that these kids are getting to see some of the opportunities that are out there for them,” said Houston Community College instructor Hung Le, who took part in the recent tour and also teaches at Scarborough. Careers in the IT industry are pervasive throughout all sorts of businesses, corporations, and school districts. They got to see that firsthand today.”
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Students during their visit to the district headquarters got to see HISD’s data center in action, and witness day-to-day operations related to storage and servers. IT employees who organized the event and led the tours say they were impressed with the students.
“They asked some really great questions and knew way more than I thought they would, “said Instructional Technology Program Specialist Shelbi Blackmon. “The future looks bright for these kids.”
Futures Academies enable students to earn a high school diploma while receiving industry and professional certifications and an associate’s degree by August after their senior year.
For information on HISD’s seven Futures Academy programs, go to http://www.houstonisd.org/futuresacademy.