Javion Newell, a senior at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, poses with one of the many animals he helped care for at the Indianapolis Zoo through the school’s Corporate Work Study program. (Submitted photo)

When it comes to Catholic high schools, “We can’t be one-size-fits-all,” says Jo Hoy, president of Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School in Indianapolis. “We want all of our students to have opportunities for their future based on their interests and gifts.”

For some, that might mean earning a college degree. For others, it could mean earning a technical certification, learning a trade, joining the military or becoming a firefighter or law enforcement officer.

This article features how two Catholic high schools within the archdiocese are offering programs for students to explore potential postsecondary paths.

As it happens, both schools’ established programs satisfy a new high school graduation option recently announced by the Indiana Deportment of Education (DOE).

‘A great way to explore future options’

That option is for students to earn an “honors” or honors-plus” seal for their diploma proving “postsecondary readiness” for higher education, employment or a military/public servant path.

Talk of such an option is not new, particularly in terms of students seeking employment after graduating.

“We knew there was a movement a couple of years ago about how [Indiana business and industry] leaders were looking for employability skills from students graduating from high school,” says Hoy.

In researching the future job market, she and her team discovered a growing demand in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and math. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than 80% of jobs will require STEM skills in the next decade.

“We took that information and looked at what fields had shortages,” Hoy explains. “A few years ago, we were able to start putting plans in place.”

The result is the school’s Career Technical Education Programs (CTEP). It enlists professionals to prepare interested students for certification exams—currently as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), pharmacy tech or in cybersecurity—and to learn from technical experts for a career in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Based on the DOE’s recently released document, these established programs can now qualify students for an honors and honors-plus employment seal years before the DOE’s deadline of 2029.

CTEP “gives our kids a beautiful advantage,” says Hoy. “Very often for many students, they don’t know what they don’t know. Our hope is to show them, ‘There is more, and you can do it. You have that opportunity, and you’re better set up for the future.’

“It’s an additional opportunity for them to further educate themselves and make a decision on what they want to do in the future.”

That opportunity has proven impactful for Ritter junior Ashley Escamilla.

“I originally wanted to go into the psychology field to become a social worker,” says Ashley. “But then I decided to see if maybe nursing had an interest.”

She enrolled in Cardinal Ritter’s CNA program last fall. Students take a special class and participate in clinicals.

“At first, it was very nerve-wracking,” Ashley admits of her first clinical experience in a nursing home. “But everyone there was very welcoming, and they showed me a lot. I got to practice bed showers, helping [residents] change, feeding them.”

The course and hands-on experience have changed Ashley’s thoughts about her future.

“As of right now, nursing seems to be the way to go, not psychology anymore,” she says. “So, if it continues working out, then I would go to college, get a nursing degree and go into the nursing field.”

Meanwhile, if she passes the CNA certification exam later this spring, she can confirm her choice and gain more experience—and get paid—by working as a CNA.

Ashley says she would “definitely recommend” Cardinal Ritter’s certification and technical path programs.

“If you’re still deciding what you want to do, it’s a great way to see if maybe [nursing, pharmacy, cybersecurity or HVAC] is what you want to do,” she says. “Because maybe you think it’s what you want to do, and then when you actually study it in college and don’t like it, you’ve wasted a whole year.

“It’s a great way to explore your future options.”

‘The most transformative experience in my life’

For students of Providence Cristo Rey High School (PCR) in Indianapolis, work is woven into their education experience.

“As part of the Cristo Rey Network, we’re required to have every student work one day a week [during the school year] freshman through senior year” through the network’s Corporate Work Study program, says Tyler Mayer, PCR’s president and CEO. “It could be in

health care, engineering, finance, banking, insurance,

non-profits, construction—we’re open to almost any industry.

“The program is a real game-changer.”

New students attend a two-week general job training—learning how to dress, how to use basic equipment, even taking a personality test to help identify possible fields of interest.

The training concludes with a job fair. Students interview with companies of their choice, then input from both the student and company is considered and a match is made.

“About half of our students end up staying at a company for four years,” says Mayer. “Some decide later they want to try a different industry.”

With each student working about 250 hours per year, the Corporate Work Study program “has the hours built into our school schedule that are required” to earn an honors or honors-plus employment seal.

Through the work study, students “develop soft skills, hard skills, the ability to understand what kind of jobs are out there, and they get a career mentor,” Mayer says.

For a school catering to families in economic need, “The biggest thing is that [the program] provides students opportunities or opens doors for them they couldn’t have otherwise,” Mayer adds. “Developing good relationships and building networks are important to finding a job. [The work study program] maximizes the possibility of breaking out of that cycle of poverty.”

Ultimately, he says, the goal is “to maximize [students’] potential and have them become the best version of themselves.”

Javion Newell is succeeding in that goal.

Having a lifelong love for animals, the PCR senior has worked for the Indianapolis Zoo for his work study experience since his freshman year.

“For the first couple of years I worked with elephants, orangutans, penguins, doing husbandry, enrichment creating and diet preparation,” says Javion.

“They also offered a chance for him to work there in the summer as an animal caregiver,” Mayer adds. “Usually, only college students get to do that.”

As part of his work study, Javion also attended zoo staff meetings. What he learned during the meetings’ “Conservation Minute” talks intrigued him.

“The zoo let me switch to their global department,” says Javion. “Now I’ve shifted my focus toward the conservation side of animal care. It’s really expanded my vision of what I want to do.”

He plans to attend college and earn a biology degree, noting that there are “different paths to get into conservation, and science is the path for me.”

Javion says he has learned “so much more” than how to care for animals through his work study experience.

“Being in a professional workspace, you learn how to make conversation and keep conversation going,” he says. “You’re networking, learning from people, being trainable. Most important is learning to be able to adapt to different environments.

“This has been the most transformative experience in my life.” †
 

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