Nearly 500 Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center students were honored on Thursday, June 12, during a ceremony that celebrated their successes in the classroom and, for many, in the workforce.
With a packed-house of caregivers, friends, school and BOCES administrators looking on, students from more than two-dozen school districts ranging from Guilderland to Watervliet, Cobleskill to Shenendehowa, and Bethlehem to Saratoga Springs were celebrated during a ceremony at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.
The ceremony marked the completion of one- and two-year programs, including Diesel Technology, Culinary, Cosmetology, Building Trades, Criminal Justice, Network Technology, Carpentry, Automotive Trades Technology and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC/R).
A pair of speakers praised the graduates for going above and beyond to secure bright futures.
“Our students are answering a call to build, repair, secure, innovate and lead” said Principal Joseph Slichko, Ed.D.
He went onto thank the students for their “dedication, determination and drive,” as well as thank their parents and the BOCES partners for believing in the students..
Game Design & Implementation graduate Arianna Rivas delivered a tear-inducing speech, thanking her parents for showing her how to always seek and achieve, while also praising others people who modeled that behavior to her classmates..
“When you walk across the stage today, smile for those who came before you and for those who lifted you up when you struggled,” said Rivas, who attended BOCES from Mohonasen.
Many of the graduates are going on to college and trade schools; still others are going straight into the workforce thanks to the skills they learned and the connections they made at BOCES.
Automotive Trades Technology graduate Joe Berube is going to work for Keeler Motor Car Company thanks to work-based learning he took part in through BOCES.
“It’s been a great experience at BOCES,” he said. “I have learned a lot and made important connections,” who attended BOCES from Cobleskill-Richmondville (CRCS).
Network Technology graduate James Hamilton is going to work for GlobalFoundries thanks to BOCES.
“I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to get a job in technology, but thanks to [BOCES Teacher Ed] Henson and BOCES, I have a job and they are paying for me to go to college,” said Hamilton, who attended BOCES from Schenectady.
Other graduates, such as Anna Bobish and Chelsea Kemraj, are building on their education by attending college.
“At BOCES, I have learned the importance of collaboration, and the wide range of jobs that exist in the entertainment industry. This will help me in the future by giving me ideas for what I would like to go into as well as how working in the industry is,” said Bobish, an Entertainment Technology graduate from Voorheesville.
Kemraj, a Sterile Processing graduate from CRCS who will attend SUNY Herkimer, said “attending BOCES gave me courage to actually do something new.”
Global Fashion graduate Laura Stampalia is attending Marist College in the fall.
“The [Global] Fashion program was a great opportunity to improve my sewing skills, sketching skills and get on the right path in terms of what I wanted to do in the fashion industry,” said Stampalia, who attended BOCES from Voorheesville.
Meanwhile Culinary Arts graduate Makayli Hurd is attending The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the fall. She credits BOCES with giving her the recipe for future success.
“Attending BOCES has helped with my learning, time management, work ethic and knowledge of cooking,” she said, adding, “Thanks to BOCES, I have learned new techniques and skills and have had many opportunities to grow,” the Watervliet Junior-Senior High School student said.