From career center to city hall: with the building blocks provided by the Polaris Career Center, Michael Ciaravino has constructed a very successful career and become a leader of his community.

In 1979, Michael Ciaravino entered the carpentry program at Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, a suburb southwest of Cleveland. At the time, Ciaravino was a junior at Midpark High School, one of seven local high schools Polaris serves.

While he had an interest in gaining construction industry knowledge, Ciaravino was not particularly fond of academics. That changed while he was in the Polaris program, however; Ciaravino not only sharpened his technical skills, but he thrived in the hands-on learning environment of career and technical education, which provided him with immediate feedback. His success at Polaris also helped him build the confidence needed to take on tougher challenges in his life.

After graduating in 1981, Ciaravino intended to continue in the construction trades field, but times were slow, and full-time jobs were not available. However, the self-assurance he gained at Polaris gave him the incentive to further his education.

Financing his studies with a variety of construction jobs, Ciaravino entered Cuyahoga Community College, and then went on to John Carroll University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree. While at John Carroll, he became involved with the debating team and discovered a new interest in academics. This led him to pursue a degree in law at Case Western Reserve University.

Ciaravino went on to become an attorney and a magistrate in private practice, as well as a city prosecutor and assistant law director for the City of Maple Heights (a suburb east of Cleveland).

Throughout his career, Ciaravino's skills in carpentry and construction have proved to be an asset in trials involving tradespeople. He has used the success that he began building at Polaris Career Center to attain many professional and personal goals. In November of 2003, he added another impressive title to his resume when he was elected the mayor of Maple Heights.

Career and technical education has often provided its students with technical skills and sometimes their first true appreciation and love for academic learning. It has helped them build the confidence necessary to become true leaders in their communities and has opened many doors for them. For Michael Ciaravino, career and technical education provided many of these gifts and opened many doors. One of those doors was the one to City Hall.

Doug Miller is a marketing and communications specialist with the Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. He can be contacted at dmiller@ polaris.edu.

"Spotlight" focuses on career and technical education success stories. If you have a success story you would like to submit, or if you would like to recommend a student, former student or a colleague to be featured in "Spotlight," please contact Susan Reese at [e-mail], or by telephone at 703-521-7760.