By Wayne Gates
Local adults who have made the commitment to better their lives were honored in Georgetown on June 19.
Southern Hills Career and Technical Center held a recognition ceremony for adults who have completed various technical and career classes over the past year.
A total of 78 students completed a course at SHCTC, with many of them attending the ceremony.
SHCTC Superintendent Kevin Kratzer said that he is impressed with the commitment shown by the adult students.
“These folks do all of this work and this training and they do it while they live life. They still go to work and take care of their families and then they come to class in the evenings. I have the utmost respect for them,” he said.
He also praised the SHCTC staff.
“They have a passion for the job and the adults that they are teaching. They are personally invested in seeing their students get to the finish line.”
Southern Hills Adult Education Coordinator Vicky Carrington was also pleased with the ceremony to celebrate the achievement of the adults.
“I’m excited to recognize the students for taking the initiative to improve their lives by furthering their education at Southern Hills Post-Secondary,” Carrington said.
“These students are representative of the 78 actual students completing a Post-Secondary Program and obtaining an industry certification this past school year. Included in the 78 students are 7 individuals that also earned their High School Diploma by completing an eligible Post-Secondary program and completing other requirements.”
Southern Hills EMS/Fire Training Coordinator Ryan Waterfield said he expects to be even busier in the coming year.
“We have 37 people who are already signed up for next year’s course, so the graduating class is going to be even bigger,” he said.
When asked about the reward of teaching, he said “”I fell in love it because you can actually see these students come in with a dream to become a full time firefighter, paramedic or EMT and I help them there. It’s very rewarding.”
Kratzer said that the number of students completing programs at SHCTC is more than double what it was two years ago. He said that anyone who is considering a career change should reach out.
“They should come and talk to us about what you want and see if we are a match to help you get there. It’s about you getting a better job, it’s about giving you more income,” he said.
For class offerings and schedules call (937) 378-6131.