As a three-season athlete with a burgeoning interest in health and fitness, Cydney Calhoun ('17) knew she wanted to be a physical therapist. So at the start of her junior year, she enrolled in the Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Program offered through the Tri-Heights Career Tech Consortium and began balancing school, athletics and forging her own career path.
High School Guidance Counselor and Consortium Liaison David Peterjohn estimates that annually, 40-60 students from the high school participate in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at Consortium, which is open to juniors and seniors at Shaker Heights, (Cleveland) Heights and Warrensville Heights High Schools. "My older sisters had done the CTE program and my counselor asked if I was interested," she explains. "I knew I wanted to go into physical therapy and personal training, so I decided to do it."
Peterjohn says that today's career and technical education is a far cry from 20th century vocational education programs. "These programs are certainly good for kids who are going to college because it allows them to pursue something they're interested in and it builds a foundation for what they're going to study," Peterjohn says. "For some, these programs lead to jobs that can help offset the cost of college and for others, they'll work after high school and continue on in their academic or professional education later."
The Tri-Heights Career Tech Consortium currently offers students programs in 13 areas of study including audio engineering, business management technology, computer networking technology, criminal justice, graphic imaging technology and marketing management. All students make a two-year commitment to their programs and split their time between Shaker Heights High School and their program location (most of which will be at Heights High when the school reopens in the fall). All students are bused to their programs. Peterjohn suggests that families with middle school-aged children take a closer look at these programs, as they can help students determine what they may (and may not) want to pursue as a career.
Cydney says she is grateful for her CTE experience. This summer, she will take her personal trainer exam and this fall, she will begin her freshman year at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Her advice for students considering applying for the a CTE program? "Take the program seriously," she says. "It really will help you in the long run to get the work experience you'll need."