I was having a hard time in high school.
I didn't really fit in, I didn't like my
classes that much and, during my freshman year of high school, my guidance
counselor told me about BOCES and their culinary arts program.
Our teachers all come from industry, so they have the experience out in the field that they
can bring into the classroom, into the
shops, into the labs.
Sometimes we're in the classroom and we'll be learning about theory, but other times we just hop
right into the kitchen if we have an
event. So, you know, my teacher will be
like, "OK, I need you to make the pear
tart" and I can just go and do that.
But he'll also give me some independence. And then other days, we're learning about
business management, and I find that
fascinating. How I can design my own
dream bakery and that's an amazing
opportunity.
So we're very lucky that our students are learning skills from expert tradespeople. They also have
connections in the community, so our students gain internships and work experience through
those connections, and that's what fuels
the economy here in Rockland County.
We fuel the workforce in a lot of areas.
I see myself working on my master's degree and then going out into the world
and really getting a job that I feel that I'm ready for and have been prepping for since junior year.
My favorite part of working at CTEC is
when we get a student that comes in that
may be a little disengaged from
education in the high school because
they didn't fit in, like Sarah. And then
all of a sudden, they find the love for
learning and they realize "Wow, I really
can go to college. I can be successful.
I will be successful." And then,
we watch them be successful.
