CTE students see the future: the winners of the Cliff Weiss memorial essay contest respond to the question, "how will what you learned in CTE help the American economy in five years?".

Secondary Winning Essay

By Qing Fan

"Where will I be after five years from now?" I asked myself diligently. I closed my eyes and imagined myself sitting on a comfortable leather chair in an administrative office with fifty employees waiting for my instruction. As I turned slowly towards my giant window with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, I saw little children skating in Rockfeller Center with joy. The giant Christmas tree stood ever so gracefully with snow flakes falling peacefully in the air. "Wake up sleepy head, you are late for school!" my mother yelled from the kitchen. After all, it was only a dream, a dream which I believe will one day become reality. Like Donald Trump once said, "Dream big!"

As the Student of the Month for Career & Technology, as well as the first place winner and team leader for the IPO Merrill Lynch Entrepreneurship Competition held at Baruch College, I believe Career And Technical Education are key towards success in the workforce. Five years from now, we will be the leaders dictating the American economy. Our skills will determine the survival of American industries.

Microsoft Office was once viewed as an elective class in high school, but has now become a must-have everyday skill demanded by companies and corporations such as Pepsi Co. Creating a PowerPoint presentation for a meeting, writing a business letter to a client, and organizing numerical data in an Excel file are just some of the most basic skills demanded in the workforce today. These skills will determine the efficiency of a company's operation, which will have a direct effect on the American economy.

As part of the Virtual Enterprise family, this program has made a tremendous difference in my life. The professionalism I have gained from this program has given me self-confidence knowing that I am ahead of many students. As the Executive Vice President of Office Universe, I have learned how to maintain and organize a firm. I can now apply the economic concepts and my management skills in my everyday life. Writing checks and making purchases by filling out purchase orders are experiences regular students won't acquire until they complete college. The online banking system is amazing because I get to do exactly what my dad does every day at work. I am so grateful we actually have a dress code on Wednesdays when every one of us gets to dress in business attire. I love to dress in business attire, especially because it makes you feel that you are working for a real business.

I am very glad my team and I made it into the final round during the Advertisement Campaign. Not only have we worked with one of the most well-known advertising firms, Cliff Freeman And Partners (who did all the Snapple ads and commercials), we have also learned how to develop an ad from a simple concept and a vision in mind. Although we lost this competition, we have gained so much more from it. This competition has given us a better understanding of the current market trends with a touch of an artistic side to it. The best thing of all is I have already made a connection with an advertising firm.

America's future will be in my hands five years from now. My skills which I have acquired from the Career And Technical Education will determine the fate of the American economy. With my determination and will power to succeed, I believe my vision will no longer be a dream. Five years from now, I shall have an office to myself looking down at that Rockefeller ice skating rink with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

Qing (Grace) Fan was born in Guangzhou, China. She is currently a senior at Port Richmond High School in Staten Island, New York. Fan is going to graduate in June and will attend Baruch College in August. After she became a member of the Virtual Enterprise Program, Fan was amazed with the training Career 8, Technical Education offered. She has enrolled in several college courses including: Introduction to Business, Sociology, Psychology, Statistics, Mass Communication and Self-Finance. In addition, she was the first winner/team leader of the Baruch College & Merrill Lynch IPO Challenge: A High School Entrepreneurship. Fan was part of a team that competed in the Advertising Week 2006 Campaign, and she led the team into the finals. After graduation, Fan hopes to earn a master's degree in business at Columbia University.

Postsecondary Winning Essay

By Bobbie Copas

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has taught me many things that I believe will be useful not just to me but also to the economy during the next few years. I am a single mother with four children and have been on the TANAF program since July of 2006. The CTE educational program is helping me to prepare a better future for both me and my children. I have been provided classroom instruction, community service skills, leadership skills, hands-on experience and also have had the privilege to serve as both an officer and a member in Business Professionals of America.

I believe that within the next five years I will be no longer dependent upon government assistance; and instead of taking away from the economy, I will be giving back. I will be able to find decent work in my community and will be making money that I will later be spending in my community, which will be giving back to my local economy. I will be paying taxes, which will go toward improvements for both my local economy and also the American economy. I will buy products from companies, which will improve their profits and help them do more for the economy. They will be able to hire more people; and in turn, those people will also be putting more money back into the economy. When I obtain my goals, I will have increased my income from $7.00 an hour to $28.00--an increase of 43% in income according to the formula used by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education which determines economic impact with the following formula: hourly wage x 2080 x 1.2 (representing an average of 20% benefits). Using this formula, my economic impact will be $56,958.72 each year for a total of $284,793.60.

My increased revenue will mean that local businesses can hire more employees, which means there are more people earning more and able to spend more money. Some people call this the "trickle down effect." This process involves everybody from the richest person to the poorest person. The money that I spend makes it possible for more people to earn money. Naturally, when people have extra money in their pocket they want to spend it.

When people see how my lifestyle improves by furthering my education, they are motivated or inspired to do the same thing. I am setting an example for the future generations. So now, it's not only me helping the economy, it's my friends and children, who are motivated by me, who have also gone on to extend themselves to achieve a better education and are now improving the economy themselves.

I believe that better education is the key to be able to improve the economy in any country--not just America, but all over the world. Career and Technical Education is the perfect place to start. Through CTE you will discover many ways to be able to help your local economy. Not only are the classes affordable, but the opportunities are wonderful. CTE has a large variety of options and programs that provide many different skills that do not require the normal four-year college curriculum. No matter your skill level there is something offered that can be of some benefit to almost anyone. Classes start at entry level and go all the way to advanced so even if you do not know much about a skill to start with, you can still advance in it. Because of this, many people who would not normally have the skills, time or financial resources to attend school and further their education are now given the opportunity to do so.

In closing I would like to say Career and Technical Education is an excellent choice for both young and old alike who would like to be able to improve their personal lives while also helping give back to the American economy. Students are allowed to explore a variety of careers and develop goals for their future. Instruction not only focuses on knowledge skills but also focuses on hands-on experience, which is sometimes most important because practicing what you learn helps you to be better qualified later.

Bobbie Copas, from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, is a single mother of four children. After dropping out of high school at the age of 16, it did not take her long to realize her mistake; She obtained her GED in 1991. She is presently taking a course in business computer technology at Indian Capital Technology Center-Sallisaw. She plans to continue her education in either health science or information technology. When she completes her education at Indian Capital Technology Center, she plans to go into health or business.

Although she has worked in several different jobs in her life, she had neither the experience nor the education to do what she really wanted. Now, thanks to Indian Capital Technology Center (ICTC), she will be able to have the career that she has always wanted. She recognizes the ICTC and her friend Patricia Richardson for their help.