February was CTE (Career Technical Education) Month
The month was an opportunity to increase student awareness and exposure to a wide variety of CTE based careers in agriculture, business, engineering/trades/manufacturing, FACS, & healthcare.
Mitchell Salzman - Mechanical Engineering
I have really been able to explore the manufacturing scene and get a taste of what engineering is like in the workplace. I am very grateful for the opportunity to intern at Teamvantage, where I have learned so much about plastic injection molding.
Mitchell is a senior who plans to attend Michigan Technological University in the fall to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Mitchell has long challenged himself with rigorous courses, taking all the AP (Advanced Placement) science classes and advanced mathematics. Mitchell also understood the importance of having application side or real world experiences. As a result, he took Career Launch B, a paid internship course. This semester Mitchell has been interning at Teamvantage, a local plastic injection molding company. Mitchell has rotated through various departments, experiencing everything from production to quality control to engineering and design.
Businesses: Are you interested in hosting student interns? Contact Mike Miron at mmiron@flaschools.org
Victoria Kimber - FACS Teacher
Interior design had been a hobby of mine until I had the opportunity to teach the class. Now, as an interior design teacher, I get to see the creative side of students. It is so enjoyable to see students learn in a different realm, through innovation and expression.
After a career as an athletic trainer, Victoria decided to take a leap of faith and pursue an entirely new career field as a FACS (Family and Consumer Science Teacher). She has been working hard to earn her licensure. By the end of the year, she will be a fully licensed CTE (Career Technical Education) teacher. Already, she has experienced the joy of seeing a student become passionate about the content material. After taking an interior design class last year, Jordan Voelz is now acting as a TA for Victoria, helping students and continuing to develop her own skills. In the fall, she will be pursuing a degree in interior design.
Dr. Joe Vislisel - South Shore Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Joe has provided me with so many fantastic opportunities to advance my skills and knowledge. When I scrub in for a surgery sit-in, he is always encouraging me to ask questions. When I assist with the animals, I learn exactly what is being done and why. It's clear that Dr. Joe loves working with students. My internship at South Shore Vet and working with Dr. Joe has really helped me fast track my veterinarian participation with access to hands on experiences that most students do not have until college and/or vet school.- Aliyah Neeser (12th grade Career Launch Student)
Dr. Joe and South Shore Veterinary Hospital have been tremendous partners to our Career Launch programming at Forest Lake Area High School. They have hosted several student interns through Career Launch, and two career field trips for students interested in working with animals. The employees at South Shore Vet are always willing to share their insight and experience. On a recent field trip to South Shore Vet, Dr. Joe first had students look in microscope at healthy cells (no cancer detected); and then described attributes of successful vets. He explained that all vets need to be extremely strong in science, and that what often sets a good vet apart is their personality and the ability to communicate with all different people at potentially difficult times.