COMMUNITY PARTNER SERIES: INDUSTRIAL WOOD TECHNOLOGY
Did you know the Van High School CTE program partners with community businesses to facilitate internships for VHS students that provide real-world, on-site job experiences in various career paths? We are proud to feature our Community Partner Series throughout the year to showcase these incredible opportunities and our students’ stories within these valuable internships.
This year, to kick off our Community Partner Series, we’re starting with Industrial Wood Technology and Rhealene Cordova. Rhealene was chosen for their Social Media Internship Program during the summer of 2021. This particular internship offers high school students valuable work experience and training in social media marketing, content creation, social media management, and brand management.
Rhealene says, “This opportunity would not have been possible without the CTE classes at Van High School that helped prepare me for this opportunity. Mrs. Gideon’s Social Media Marketing class opened my eyes to the importance of social media from a business standpoint, and my iTeam class with Mrs. Admire really helped develop my skills in graphic design and communication.” Rhealene said many people at VHS helped prepare her for success within this internship and future endeavors, but one person, in particular, made a significant impact. “I would say my most influential educator would have to be Mrs. Admire. She helped me learn different applications to better my graphic design and photo editing skills. I admire (no pun intended) her kindness, work ethic, and drive when it comes to getting things done. She has also given me life-changing advice to help me now, in my senior year, and also in the future. I can’t thank her enough for everything she’s done for me!”
These internship opportunities with community partners benefit not only VHS students but also the businesses themselves. Logan Sartain of Industrial Wood Technology says, “This program helps our company not only stay on top of posting to our social media accounts consistently but also helps us make sure our content stays relevant and engaging. Social media is ever-changing, and it takes someone dedicated to keeping one account, let alone five accounts, engaging and active. Rhealene has proven to be an asset in multiple ways. From the start, she was eager to learn. She has an excellent work ethic and completes any task assigned to her proficiently. Most of all, her ideas and contribution to our overall social media strategy have been invaluable.”
Rhealene says this internship has been beneficial in planning for her future. “This opportunity has helped me figure out what I want to major in. I’ve been accepted into The University of Texas at Tyler and plan on majoring in Marketing and Mass Communications. With the help of this internship, I’ve gained insight, perspective, and experience into my future career.”
“We are extremely pleased businesses in our community partner with us through student internships, scholarships, business tours, guest speaking, student mentoring, and numerous other valuable opportunities for our students,” said Jeff Hutchins, Van High School principal. “We are incredibly grateful for this new, mutually beneficial partnership with Industrial Wood Technology and look forward to a long-standing relationship with them.”
If your business is interested in learning more about becoming a VISD CTE Community Partner, contact Jeff Hutchins at 903–963–8623 or jeffery.hutchins@vanisd.org.
