Instilling a love of lifelong learning is part of the mission of the Capital Region BOCES. At the Career & Technical School, students discover that with the right combination of knowledge, experience and energy, their opportunities are limitless. A brief look at the paths taken by young women and men profiled in past issues of the Bright Futures reveals how career and technical education can provide a strong foundation for professional and personal success.

Amanda Hennessy of Duanesburg, a 2000 graduate of the Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) Automotive Technician program, was first interviewed about her summer internship at New Salem Saab for the fall 1999 Bright Futures. After graduation, Hennessy turned her paid internship into full-time employment as an automotive technician at the dealership. She went on to earn an associate’s degree at Hudson Valley Community College through General Motors’ Automotive Service Education Program and in 2001 accepted a position as an automotive technician at Gendron’s Truck Center in Troy.

During the fall of 2002, Hennessy was again featured in the Bright Futures following her inspiring Opening Day address to Capital Region BOCES staff, where she thanked BOCES for her success in a field which employs comparatively fewer women than men. And her education has continued. Hennessy has earned several Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and General Motors certifications, and at Gendron’s she helps coordinate training for technicians and staff. In her free time, Hennessy is an avid automotive ice racer, is learning how to race Formula Ford spec engine cars, and is restoring an older Chevrolet truck. Her advice for students today? "Things change, and your dreams can change," Hennessy advises, "but keep at them no matter what anyone says."

Whatever they choose to study, "Students should do their best, and not mess around because you only live once," advises Career & Tech Diesel Mechanics class of 2001 alumnus Rob Sanchez of Slingerlands. The March 2001 Bright Futures profiled Sanchez as an outstanding student intern at H.L. Gage Inc. in Albany, where his honest return of an incorrect paycheck earned him the honor of being named Career & Tech’s Good Citizen of the Month for January 2001. Following graduation, Sanchez continued his schooling at Baran Institute in Connecticut, then returned to H.L. Gage to work as a technician, servicing and repairing medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

The best education, Sanchez stressed, is hands-on, working with the latest technology as he did during his Career & Tech internship. And, like Hennessy and Baburi, he is still learning. "H.L. Gage provided me with training in International Harvester’s new 365 engines," Sanchez reported, "and I’ll also be taking a class before I test for a full New York State Commercial Driver’s License." Outside the workplace, Sanchez has combines his love of learning with continued good citizenship. In 2002, he signed on as a volunteer firefighter with the Westmere Fire Department, where he’s taken firefighter training and survival classes.

The value of hands-on learning can’t be stressed enough, according to 2003

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Refrigeration (HVAC/R) & Plumbing program alumnus Jason Pohl of Halfmoon. Jason and older brother John, a 2002 HVAC graduate, were spotlighted in a February 2003 Bright Futures article. John is employed as an HVAC technician at Roland J. Down Inc. in Scotia, where he has worked since graduation. Jason is a technician at Colonie Mechanical in Albany, where he interned during his senior year at Career & Tech.

"In a trade, school and work are equally important, and you can learn as much in the workplace as in the classroom," related Jason Pohl. "I spent a lot of time at Colonie Mechanical even when I wasn’t interning or working, to gain experience."

Jason did take some time off from the workplace in June 2003, however, to compete at the national Skills USA/Vocational Industrial Clubs of America competition in Kansas City, Mo., after winning the New York State HVAC/R championship in April. When he’s not working or learning on the job, Jason rides a dirt bike. He and brother John also help on the family hay farm, where they put up more than 2,500 hay bales this summer.

Summer was also a busy time for Jessica Ryan of Middleburgh, a 2001 alumna of the New Visions: Health Careers Exploration program based at Ellis Hospital. The February 2001 Bright Futures explored her New Visions experience shadowing a cardiac surgeon and her lifelong desire to become a physician.

Now a junior at the State University of New York at Binghamton, Ryan is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in biological anthropology and holds a 3.8 average. She also is preparing for the Medical College Admission Test, which she will take in the spring. At SUNY Binghamton, Ryan is active in the Phi Delta Epsilon pre-medical student fraternity and has worked in the school’s financial aid department.

Although she is a college student, Ryan hasn’t left the Ellis Hospital fold: this past summer, she worked there as a patient care technician. Reflecting on her days there as a student in New Visions, Ryan noted, "the program kept me right on track, helping me to know exactly what I wanted and aspired to do."

[Fall '03]