This year, I made the choice to participate in one of the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center’s (CTC) morning programs. My program is Early Childhood Education (ECE), and the main goal of the program is to give students an opportunity to work in preschools in the area as a way to get extra experience before college or going into the workforce. CTC has many programs for the people looking to get employment right out of high school and for those wanting to further their education.

I personally will be working at Delta’s Pre-K this year starting in November before I head off to pursue an education degree at Murray State University. With that being said, Miss Kara, my instructor, has a lot of plans for us before we venture out as student teachers to our positions at nearby schools. We are currently in the process of getting CPR- and First Aid-certified through the American Heart Association, and we just finished our chapter about licensing for owning a private-practicing daycare.

I never realized how involved it is to be the director of a daycare, especially all of the technicalities they have to pass in order to be considered a licensed facility. For example, children have to sleep head-to-toe and two feet apart from each other. And that’s just one of many factoids we had to learn before we could move on to our next lesson.

With that being said, camaraderie between my classmates and I instantly occurred. We travel in a pack for our break every day, we created a group chat and we had an interesting time while we were in the middle of CPR training, naming our dummies and taking turns bringing in the AED. While we know how important it is for us to be entrusted with other people’s children, a lot of our program is focused on enjoying ourselves, too.

In addition, CTC has a buzzing energy. DECA is one part of that. DECA is a hole-in-the-wall store (literally) run by the marketing students for others in the school. The prices are cheap, the food is good and the employees are friendly. Student ambassadors are another, providing tours and information for potential future CTC students. They are interviewed by the counselor, who specifically looks for people with enthusiasm for their program and for what the whole CTC stands for. I personally just received the news I have qualified to be a student ambassador. Finally, there’s SkillsUSA, a program where we can compete against other career centers based on our field. The CTC typically sends several people to the national competition.

In other words, the CTC is full of promising young people who want to become professionals. For me, that means earning my Child Development Associate certification and getting experience that will look good on my resume, hopefully landing me part-time teaching positions while I attend Murray. It also means using my new position as an ambassador to encourage junior high and high school students to find their place in the CTC the same way I have.

Feeling like you belong is crucial in order to have a positive impact on your life, and I truly believe everyone should strive for a job they will enjoy instead of just working to make money. CTC helps me with that.

Shandy Elfrink is a senior at Leopold High School. She has attended Leopold High School since kindergarten and loves reading, writing, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family.