Ceremony to honor career and technical education successes

Recognition event is today at Civic Center

Nearly 500 students from across Yuma County will be recognized for their achievements in career and technical education (CTE) during a ceremony from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Yuma Civic Center.

Students who attended CTE programs in the Antelope Union High School District, Yuma Union High School District and Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY) will be on hand to receive their awards and recognitions.

CTE has dozens of programs among the three districts, including agriculture, automotive technologies, business management, community health care, culinary arts, cyber criminology, digital photo, early childhood education, fire science, hospitality, law and public safety, music production, nursing, plant systems, software development, sports medicine and welding.

To complete their respective program, students demonstrated their commitment by dedicating themselves to programs for two, three or four years. These students participated in hundreds of hours of extracurricular activities as well as participated in skills competitions as an active member of a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO). These students also demonstrated proficiency in the state’s CTE Technical Skills Assessments.

The celebration will also include keynote speaker Fredi Lajvardi, a nationally recognized STEM educator and subject of the critically acclaimed documentary “Underwater Dreams” and major motion picture “Spare Parts.” For more than two decades, high school science teacher Lajvardi has engaged, motivated and challenged students by making science fun and introducing them to the field of robotics.

In 2004, Lajvardi and his team of underserved high school students drew attention from local and national media outlets when they defeated leading universities — including MIT — in a national underwater robotics competition. Their inspiring story led to the acclaimed documentary, “Underwater Dreams,” which was selected by President Barack Obama to screen at the White House in honor of National Robotics Week in March 2015 and was adapted into the major motion picture, “Spare Parts,” starring actor and comedian, George Lopez as Lajvardi.

With an effective leadership philosophy, incredible story and a spirited passion for teaching, Lajvardi offers valuable and inspiring insight on fostering teamwork, sparking creativity, and helping individuals realize and maximize their potential.

CTE Arizona’s vision is to ensure a dynamic workforce by fully developing every student’s career and academic potential. Their mission is to prepare students for workforce success and continuous learning.