Student stories from Lumina Foundation's Focus Magazine

FOREWORD

Short-term programs bring long-lasting benefits—when designed with students in mind

Shortcomings associated with short-term credentialing programs have for years been neglected. Too often these programs have led to low-wage jobs, including some that workers could have found with no credential at all. People who are Black and brown were routinely tracked into career and technical programs rather than directed toward programs leading to college degrees. Many programs weren’t designed with students’ needs in mind, and schools sometimes designed them with little attention to labor market demands.

FROM THE LATEST ISSUE

A constructive effort in California

Recalling her time as a college accounting major, Catiana “Cat” Beaver admits: “I was not about it. I ended up failing most of my classes because I just wasn’t into them.” These days, thanks to a program designed to help prepare California residents for construction jobs, the 22-year-old is firmly bonded to her new field of study: welding.

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FROM THE LATEST ISSUE

Students are motoring in Michigan

Jake Taber, an avid video gamer since his middle school years, always knew his future would be wired. He just didn’t know it would arrive so quickly. At 21, Taber has already earned an associate degree and built an impressive resumé as an IT professional, thanks to an innovative program offered by Michigan’s community colleges.

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FROM THE LATEST ISSUE

Illinois program attacks inequities

Jack Camp says he “grew up a bit rough”—quite an understatement for someone who was raised by drug-addicted parents and served 10 years in state prison. Today, at age 40, Camp has turned his life around. A state-funded program helped him earn a commercial driver’s license for free, literally putting him on the road to a productive future.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

If adversity is a great teacher, the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly one of the biggest learning opportunities in decades. Among other lessons, it taught us the “essential” nature of the workers we often ignore or take for granted—not just nurses and other health care professionals, but delivery drivers and IT workers, garbage collectors, and grocery […]

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Video: A “desk job” wasn’t for her, but she’s found success in a construction careers program.

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Video: After a rough start, he turned things around with training for a high-demand industry.

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At Lake Area Tech, instructors do more than teach.

Troy Breitag, supervisor of the Med/Fire Rescue program at Lake Area Tech, runs his students through accident scenarios. Having served 24 years as a firefighter and paramedic for Watertown Fire Rescue, Breitag is well positioned to offer practical career advice. Read more: At this South Dakota college, advising and teaching go hand in hand.