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June 16, 20202020 graduate: “Career and Technical School Saved my Education”
Attending Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical School (CTE) was the best decision I made in my young life. My love and appreciation for CTE is beyond words. CTE saved my education.”
So said Diesel Tech senior Aidan Enders of Duanesburg in the waning days of his high school career.
With such lofty praise heaped on BOCES, you would think the teen has a big career planned fixing diesel engines. In fact, Enders career goals involve fixing people, not vehicles.
The well-spoken teen is attending SUNY Cobleskill in the fall to study paramedicine enroute to a career as a paramedic. He ultimately would like to be a flight medic.
He didn’t learn about emergency medicine in the classrooms of a Career and Technical School; rather he took a high-impact EMT class in Albany alongside college students and adults in the summer of his junior-senior year and spent much of his senior year working at Mohawk Ambulance when not in school or partaking in school activities.
Despite trading wrenches and bolts for blood pressure cuffs and bandages, Enders said the hands-on learning style at Capital Region BOCES has left a lasting impact.
“My freshman and sophomore year of high school really made me rethink my education. I wasn’t succeeding or enjoying my time in a traditional classroom. … I needed the change that Career and Technical School offered. I am a verbal and hands-on learner. I can read a book and not tell you one thing about it, but if someone shows me how to do something, like work on a piston, I can do it like that,” Enders said.
Beyond the diesel technology skills that he learned at BOCES which he plans to fall back on if necessary, Enders said he learned life skills that he will use daily.
“I learned at BOCES countless skills that will no doubt help me succeed in the workplace. CTE taught me professionalism, accountability, and exposed me to a realistic workplace setting,” he said. “Every aspect of CTE has given me a step up entering the workforce.”
Enders, who was elected president of the New York State SkillUSA organization for his senior year, led the advocacy organization at state events, attended a national convention and advocated for more students to be exposed to a career and technical education.
Those experiences and skills he learned from them are all part of the BOCES experience Enders credits with shaping his future.
“I feel I am better off graduating from CTE than if I graduated from a four-year college and I am going to college. … The experiences have just been tremendous and have given me a huge advantage in my life,” he said.
