American Graduate

You can train to become an electrician while you are still in high school.

Learning the electrical trade can begin in high school through career technical education. The program allows training while in high school, and gaining real hands-on work experience. Students can work directly out of high school. They can also continue their education to become a master electrician in the future.

Automotive technician training can begin in high school through a career technical education.

The BOCES program allows training while in high school, and gaining work experience. Some students get job offers while in training to allow them to enter the field directly out of high school.

A BEYOND GRADUATION collection of two short documentary stories that share the lives of Latino youth dealing with life after high-school.

Watch Beyond Graduation Short Docs

Watch all 5 episodes:

• Turns in the Road Same school, same teacher but four very different paths in life. Young Latino adults Luís, Grace, Martin and Johanna come together to share where their post-high school graduation journeys have taken them – higher education, workforce, etc. – and what has influenced their, sometimes difficult, decisions.
• Passion Drives Us Pursuing a career in the arts can be difficult. Lissette Hernandez, a former “Youth Cinema Project” graduate, is passionate about acting as a career but is challenged by what it means for her future. Follow this young Latino college student as she finds her balance, and footing in the acting world.
• AIM to Leap For the students of Atlanta’s Towers High School, a gap year can make all the difference to their futures. A program is providing college bound first-generation and low-income students with the keys to higher education success by helping them envision and reach their post-secondary potential.
• The Jump The future is an endless universe of possibilities. But for recent high school graduate Luna, the future is not so clear. Stuck in a job with no decision on a college major, Luna explores opportunities for herself both personally and professionally by just moving forward.
• Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá Hitting the books is not the only challenge for a college student. As José juggles relationships with friends and family near and far, he is also trying to figure out how to stay in school when financial aid becomes scarce. For him, life is a true balancing act when you are neither from here or from there.

Warehouse manager is one of the many jobs in food production industry.

Erin Counts works as a warehouse operator at Love Beets USA. She has a high school diploma and associates degree. She started off as a sales operator and moved up to a supervisory position managing people that fill customer orders. Her goal is to move up to be a warehouse manager.

Having a good job can start with entry level work and on the job training to work your way up.

Chelsey Williams, didn’t want to take out student loans. She took an entry level job at O-AT-KA and over 8 years worked her way up to Operations Supervisor. Explore her journey in working in the food production industry.