Clark College hosted more than 350 high school students from across five counties for its annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs Showcase on April 15.

Students from grades 9 through 12 explored Clark’s degrees and programs and learned about a wide range of CTE programs offered at Clark, gaining insight into potential career pathways and educational opportunities.

Sponsored by Guided Pathways, this year’s event included attendance from 25 high schools across seven Clark County school districts. Participating schools outside of Clark County drove all the way from Stevenson (Skamania County); Glenwood, Klickitat, and Lyle (Klickitat County); Kalama (Cowlitz County); and Mossyrock High School (Lewis County).

Some of the student engagement included:

• Professor-Chef Aaron Guerra led a group of high school students through the cuisine kitchens at McClaskey Culinary Institute. He said, “I’m an example of living your dream. I followed my heart, followed my passion, worked hard, and built a great career.” He added, “It takes hard work to be successful in life—and in the kitchen.”
• Across campus in the Diesel Technology lab classroom, Professor Jeff Rush told students: “Learning electrical is a long path. But it can open doors to a great career in diesel technology.”
• In the STEM Building, engineering professors Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu led students in an engineering challenge to design and build a helicopter-like device that can carry cargo. Caleb Gross from Ridgefield High School and Daeannamae Beckey from Columbia River High School teamed up and used ChatGPT to find detailed plans for building their copter.

Gaby Posteuca, a Clark admissions recruiter who helped coordinate the event, said, “What a turnout we had for our CTE showcase this year! It was gratifying to see hundreds of students who were engaged in the workshop activities and asking questions. I am confident that this event sparked the high school students to consider their future career and how Clark College can help them attain their career goals.”

Exploring Career Pathways

Each high school student chose two workshops to attend from a list of offerings, including observing CTE classes in action. These included allied health programs Health Information Management, Medical Assisting, Nursing, Pharmacy Tech, and Surgical Technology; Automotive Technology, Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management, Diesel Technology, Welding Technology, Mechatronics, Engineering, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, Cuisine Management, Professional Baking and Pastry Arts and Early Childhood Education and more.

Workshops in Gaiser Hall included financial aid and scholarships, admissions, career exploration, Running Start, and more.

All over campus, high school students met Clark faculty, learned about specific programs, experienced demonstrations, and participated in hands-on activities.

Finally, the students gathered in Gaiser Student Center for boxed lunches and a Resource Fair, where they made connections and asked questions of Clark staff from Admissions, CTE Dual Credit, Financial Aid, Tutoring Services, MESA, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and more. Gaiser Hall was buzzing with staff assisting students to plan for their future careers.

Participating Clark County High Schools

• Battle Ground: Battle Ground High School, Prairie High School
• Camas: Camas High School, Discovery High School, Hayes Freedom High School
• Evergreen: Evergreen High School, Henrietta Lacks High School, Heritage High School, Legacy High School, Legacy-Open Doors, Mountain View High School
• Hockinson: Hockinson High School
• Ridgefield: Ridgefield High School
• Vancouver: Columbia River High School, Fort Vancouver High School, Hudson’s Bay High School, Skyview High School, Vancouver Flex Academy
• Washougal: Washougal High School

Participating Schools Beyond Clark County

• Cowlitz County: Kalama High School
• Klickitat County: Glenwood High School, Klickitat High School, Lyle High School
• Lewis County: Mossy Rock High School
• Skamania County: Stevenson High School

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Upstairs in Joan Stout Hall, a group of high school students in the Network Technology and Cybersecurity lab faced an enormous and intimidating network devices wall. Each student held a wire and awaited instruction from professors Dwight Hughes and Giga Alqeeq, who guided them in learning how to connect personal computers to network devices. During the hands-on activity, students learned how vulnerable computer communications are to interception by hackers.

These students were among about 350 high school students from 9^th through 12^th grades who explored degrees and programs at the Clark College CTE Showcase, a career pathways event on Clark’s main campus on April 23. This year, 21 high schools in seven Clark County school districts participated in the Career and Technical Programs Showcase funded by Guided Pathways. Participating schools outside of Clark County were Stevenson High School (Skamania County), Trout Lake High School (Klickitat County), and Mossyrock High School (Lewis County).

Cole Timpone, Clark admissions recruiter who coordinated the event, said, “I have personally spoken with countless students who are now enrolled at Clark, in large part thanks to their experiences at last year’s CTE Showcase, and the connections they made that day with Clark faculty and staff. Building upon last year’s success, this year’s event was even larger.”

Exploring Career Pathways

Each high school student chose two workshops to attend from a list of 24 offerings, including observing CTE classes in action. These included various allied health programs, Automotive Technology, Addiction Counselor Education/Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Services, Diesel Technology, Welding Technology, Phlebotomy, Surveying and Geomatics, Engineering, Cybersecurity and Network Technology, Digital Media Arts, Cuisine Management, Early Childhood Education and Professional Baking and Pastry Arts and more.

Workshops in Gaiser Hall included financial aid and scholarships, admissions, career exploration, Running Start, and more.

All over campus, high school students met Clark faculty, learned about specific programs, experienced demonstrations, and participated in hands-on activities.

Diesel Technology: After leading students on a tour of the Diesel Technology shop, Professor Jeff Rush talked about his own career and encouraged them to consider a career in Diesel Technology, a trade that pays a living wage and has attracted many women: “There are many women in the industry. I have made from $55 per hour up to $160,000 a year working in this field. There is so much opportunity for upward mobility.”

Welding Technology: Professor Wade Hausinger led students around the welding facility where Clark students welded and worked on projects. Hausinger encouraged students to consider a welding career. “Welding is everywhere. You can go anywhere in the world to get a job. Industry people need more welders. Clark students are being hired and making $34.95 per hour to start. That’s $72,000 a year.” He added, “One of my students just got a job at Vigor Industrial.”

Cuisine Management: Wielding metal tongs, Chef Earl Frederick stood on the patio outside McClaskey Culinary Institute, where high school students were gathered in front of him. As Frederick grilled zucchini slices and veggie kebabs for the students, he talked about the program’s depth and opportunities for hands-on real-world experience: “We want you to be able to work in any kitchen. There is plenty of opportunity.” The students asked questions, and then eagerly sampled the grilled veggies.

Similar presentations played out all around campus as high school students explored potential career paths.

“An important component of the Guided Pathways model is assisting students with identifying and beginning a career pathway,” said Rhianna Johnson, director of Guided Pathways and Partnerships. “Events like the CTE Showcase expose students to different career fields and support them in exploring their options. It is important that students understand that there are multiple different ways to ‘do’ college, including shorter career technical education programs that lead directly to the workforce, along with transfer degree pathways.”

After the workshops and lunch, students attended a resource fair where 20 Clark departments and offices shared their programs and services with the students and educators. During the resource fair, high school students filled out scavenger hunt cards asking questions about the programs and student support services they had learned about. Students who submitted their completed cards were eligible to win a Clark College Bookstore gift card.

Timpone summed up the event: “It’s one thing to hear about the different program options available at Clark College and the careers that they prepare students for, but at the heart of the CTE Showcase is the opportunity for students to participate in hands-on activities that allow them to try out these programs for themselves.”

Participating High Schools

• Battle Ground: Battle Ground High School, Prairie High School, Summit View High School
• Camas: Discovery High School, Hayes Freedom High School
• Evergreen: Evergreen High School, Heritage High School, Legacy High School, Mountain View High School
• Hockinson: Hockinson High School
• Ridgefield: Ridgefield High School
• Vancouver: Columbia River High School, Fort Vancouver High School, Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School, Hudson’s Bay High School, Skyview High School, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics
• Washougal: Washougal High School
• Klickitat County: Trout Lake High School
• Lewis County: Mossyrock High School
• Skamania County: Stevenson High School

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish