CTI student praises school
I am a senior at the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute (formerly the Fayette County Vo-Tech School) in the health occupations/nurse aide program.
My first year at CTI was the 2010 school year. Many of my friends encouraged me to come here because I want to be a nurse and I would have real, hands-on experience in the health field.
For example, we have labs twice a week teaching us the skills we need to take the test to become a certified nursing assistant and earn our certification in CPR and First Aid. As seniors we have the opportunity to work with the elderly at a local hospital. Besides learning basic technical skills we are taught empathy and how important it is to work as part of a team in the health-care industry.
Before coming here I thought that attending the vo-tech would be just a waste of my time. I didn’t think I would get anything out of it. I was wrong. When I graduate I will have the certifications I mentioned in addition to my high school diploma, but along the way I gained a lot more. Mrs. Lowry and Mrs. Martin, my CTI teachers, had faith in me when I did not have faith in myself. They talked to me about what I could be doing for myself and all the different opportunities that are available to me after I graduate.
Because of their encouragement, I began to attend my home school more often and focused more on my work. Vo-tech makes me want to do something with my life, and I have seen that there is a lot more to high school than math, science and English.
All the hands-on experience that I have had helped to make me a more outgoing person. I am also learning how to be professional while working not only in the nursing field but in any occupation. And CTI offers many programs such as culinary, cosmetology, agriculture, welding, auto body and more. Once you complete the program you can take tests to get certified in those fields.
I am thankful that we have people out there that actually care about showing us hands-on work experience and giving us the opportunity to learn as much as we can about a career that interests us. I also thank all of the taxpayers out there who are giving many young adults the chance to explore the career they want to pursue.
Yes, we are a 50-year old school, but I believe that is saying a lot. We were the first area vocational technical school in Pennsylvania and not only has this school produced many successful people in every walk of life, it is still doing so, and doing it well.
I was in SkillsUSA last year, and we take our competitions seriously. It is not just some way to get out of school for one day. We want to prove to other schools that we are good at what we learn, and our teachers know what they are doing.
We have been called non-academic students, but there is no way non-academic students could bring so many regional, state and national awards back to the school.
The CTI staff is not begging the home schools to send students because they don’t have any; they are asking the home schools to encourage students to come out because it’s a hands-on work environment, and we can get a feel for the career of our interests.
I have yet to hear about a bad reputation from the vo-tech at my home school but if someone is ridiculed for attending tech I would just say hold your head up higher than ever and think, “I’m going to be certified when I graduate plus have a high school diploma thanks to the staff of CTI.”
Kassie Kostandinu is a resident of Brownfield.