Trinity High School offers many programs to students who want to get a jumpstart on their career after high school. Toni and Guy offers a cosmetology program to high school students and the Western Area Career and Technology Center, commonly known as Vo-Tech, offers a wide variety of classes for students who want to do anything from mechanic work to welding. Programs such as these have prepared high school seniors to enter the workforce directly after graduating.

Senior Siddaly Brooks has been in the Toni and Guy program since the beginning of her junior year. Just this year, the program has started taking sophomores, allowing students to have more time to learn and further their cosmetology knowledge before graduation. Typically, Brooks and other classmates will head to Toni and Guy after third period, and when they arrive learn theory for around two hours and then head to do an assignment such as a haircut or color. The program offers many other subcategories of cosmetology such as waxing, facials and nails. Her favorite part of the course so far are fun relaxing days where the class does facials on each other. Brooks does not plan on going to college and is currently hoping to work in a salon after graduation. 

“Toni and Guy was really hard, but I think it’s really worth it if it is something you think you want to do in the future,” says Brooks.

Max Dotson is a senior who currently goes to the Western Area Career and Technology Center. Dotson has been going to Vo-Tech for welding since his sophomore year. When the students arrive at the center, they usually go to the classroom to do paperwork; then, they go to the shop to begin working and learning. 

After graduation, Dotson does not plan on furthering his education in college. He plans to graduate and go into pipe welding.

“My favorite part of being in Vo-tech is being able to do what I like doing and what I plan on pursuing after graduation, while getting an education,” explains Dotson. 

Another Western Area Career and Technology Center senior, Tori Snyder, plans on using her collision repair education from the program to start a career after highschool. Snyder has been involved in the program learning collision repair since she was a sophomore. When Snyder arrives at the program, her group usually heads to the shop to start the day unless they need to go to the classroom to do any assignments or paperwork. Some of the paperwork they do consists of mandatory certification courses they have to complete such as the ICAR certification, which is an advanced certification for people pursuing collision repair careers and the SP2 certification, which is a yearly certification that the students have to take. 

Snyder says her favorite part of participating in the program is the hands-on work she and the class does. In the class, the students learn how to fix panels in a car, mix paint and weld. At the moment, Snyder does not plan on furthering her education in college, but does plan on working in an auto-mechanic shop focusing on body work.

There are many dedicated and hard-working seniors who have put in countless hours to these programs for the past two to three years to be able to graduate and enter the workforce. Congratulations to all of the seniors who have dedicated so much time to be able to accomplish furthering their career!