By Kathy Chouteau
It only takes a minute of time spent with Michelle Herrera to realize she is a high school student on her way up.
The Leadership Public Schools senior credits her upward trajectory to her involvement in the school’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Business Program, offered primarily on-campus for free to sophomores, juniors and seniors. More than 70 students are currently participating in the school’s program, located in Richmond’s Iron Triangle.
“It’s an incredible program that allows students like [me] to begin earning college credit toward a Business Associate’s Certification while still in high school,” said Herrera. Students can also earn an Accounting Technician’s Certification. She underscored that this June a number of students will graduate from high school with a diploma and a business certification thanks to their hard work in the program.
Herrera learned about the CTE Business Program from her teacher, Latonya Pye, and started participating in it her sophomore year. The school collaborates with Contra Costa College by having a professor visit Leadership to teach classes such as Intro to Business; Public Speaking; Intro to Management; Business Math; Applied Accounting; and Business Communications—to name a few.
Some classes are taught on the Contra Costa College campus, where students can experience an introduction to college academics.
Herrera said the student participants do a lot of presentations in their classes and that overall the program is a big confidence and professional skills builder that’s also a great pre-college opportunity.
The high school senior, who lives in the Iron Triangle, said she plans to attend a four-year college, but is still considering her options. The credits from Herrera’s CTE Business Program classes will transfer to the college of her choice, and she’s interested in pursuing a major related to Politics. Incidentally, an Intro Analysis to the Political Institution of America class—which she took at Contra Costa College from home—furthered her interest in that specific field.
Reflective of Leadership Public Schools, the CTE Business Program is 100 percent BIPOC and includes many first-generation college-going students, according to Herrera. She believes it’s great for students to take advantage of these opportunities in the business realm and beyond.
Want to find out more about Leadership’s CTE Business Program? Contact Latonya Pye at lpye@leadps.org or (510) 260-5309.
