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More than 400 Seniors Earn CTE Honor Cords
About 360 Killeen ISD high school seniors stepped across the stage at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center to receive a purple cord, signifying they earned an industry certification in high school.
More than 400 soon-to-graduate seniors have earned at least one certification through Career and Technical Education programs in KISD.
One of them, Fabian Ricci-Ramirez, set to continue his education at Central Texas College and then to a four-year university to become a teacher, reflected on his time in the Education and Training program at the Career Center.
He said he spent his younger years in his native Venezuela, moving to the United States and Killeen in time to start sixth grade.
Though he didn’t understand English, he learned quickly and said he desires to help students transition during those formative years just as instructors helped him.
“I had to overcome many challenges,” he said of moving to a new country and learning a new language. “Moving has allowed my education to flourish at the Career Center and at KISD in general.”
“When we receive our cords tonight, I want everyone to remember where they started and how far they have come,” said Ramirez. “KISD has taught us to dream big, and all our hard work has paid off.”
As a future educator, he said he learned while serving at a field site alongside teachers that he could do much more than he originally thought. He also learned to never doubt his accomplishments.
“The journey of dreams is never going to be easy,” he said. “Life is going to put you against the wall. It’s not about what life does to you. It’s about what you’re going to do to stand up for yourself and keep going.”
KISD Chief College, Career and Military Readiness Officer Nancy Patterson praised the cord-earning students for doing more than what is required to earn a high school diploma in order to be more prepared than most of their peers.
“We have students who are making a choice above and beyond high school requirements to do something powerful to set yourself up for your future,” she said.
“You didn’t have to make that choice, but you did. I’m very happy we get to be part of it.”
Three students won Deby K. Bell Tools of the Trade, earning funds to purchase tools to do their chosen work.
Three industry partners earned CTE Partners in Excellence awards, trophies made by Career Center welding students.
Those honors went to the Soar Program, Joe Maines, who served as KISD Board President when the Career Center opened in 2011 and to Toyota of Killeen.
Students will wear their purple honor cords during high school graduation ceremonies.