Alessandra Seghesio

The CTE pathways at Vista del Lago High School

Career Technical Education is a program designed to reach beyond the core curriculum and set students on a pathway to their careers. Across Vista’s own campus, you’ll find a variety of CTE courses offered as electives. With animation, biotechnology, child development, and more, this department offers something for students of all passions.

In the face of career pressures and increasing global competitiveness, CTE is a nationwide initiative integrating career-specific skills into secondary education. The hands-on experience and preparatory knowledge provide students an advantage in their pursuit of future success. “CTE courses are a great way to have students test out different possible career choices,” said Brittney Valtierra, head of Vista’s CTE department, “[students] start building and learning skills now that will help them get college-ready in the future.” 

Depending on the area of study, students are required to take anywhere from two to four CTE courses in the same subject to complete a pathway. This accomplishment is rewarded with graduation cords. “It shows your dedication and your interest to that career path,” said Mindy Nardinelli, the child development teacher at Vista. 

Nardinelli calls it her “lucky privilege” to witness the personal growth of her students as they dedicate themselves to one pathway. “Not only do I see growth and development maturity-wise, but I also see their interest and passion grow for the curriculum,” she says, “and then they come back once they’ve graduated to tell me how valuable their experience was.”

Our rich CTE program guides students as they explore subjects of interest and decide if related career paths are suitable for them. Valtierra describes the foundational CTE courses as a “test-run” for students to experiment with career options. “Then we have additional courses that dive deeper down that rabbit hole that can really get you involved,” said Valtierra. 

For instance, some CTE courses will engage students in real career experiences. The child development pathway sends advanced students to local elementary schools where they apply their knowledge of youth development to real world situations as a classroom assistant. Similarly, the video production curriculum instructs foundational knowledge for several career settings, such as moviemaking, television, and marketing. In any case, our CTE department offers introductory opportunities for a diverse range of careers.

Though high school is a time filled with college and career related anxieties, CTE can be a platform for students to investigate, explore, and build confidence in future applications of their interests. “I took it because I’m interested in going somewhere in the medical field,” said sophomore Kailey Deweese about her Medical Biotechnology class. Deweese hopes the foundational knowledge found in this CTE course will help her achieve a stable career and future.