RICHMOND — Chariho Career and Technical Center senior Ella Brayton, who has spent the past four years studying cosmetology, and her mother, Amanda, smiled wide on Tuesday afternoon as CTC Director Gerry Auth took a picture of Brayton as she signed her own “letter of intent” for after graduation.
It wasn’t the typical letter you might expect. Brayton isn’t joining any post-secondary athletic team or promising attendance at any particular university.
The promise made by Brayton and eight other top students in the Chariho Tech program during the school’s first-ever SkillsUSA National Signing Day was to put their talents to use upon graduation and enter the local workforce.
“(Cosmetology) is something I have wanted to do since I was really little,” said Brayton, who is following in the hairdresser footsteps of her mom, Grandma Chicky and several aunts. Brayton aspires to one day open a mother-daughter shop with Amanda. “Chariho’s program is giving me a great opportunity to go out and do that right after high school.”
For the first time on May 7, the official date SkillsUSA National Signing Day is celebrated annually, Chariho Tech and area businesses came together to hold a special signing and award ceremony for some of the Class of 2024’s top performers. The event was also one of six held across Rhode Island and countless across the U.S., said SkillsUSA Rhode Island Associate Director Joshua Klemp.
Klemp, a Chariho graduate himself, said the purpose of the program is to spotlight the students, many of whom play a critical role upon graduation in the future development in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“You are the ones who make sure the world is working, and I do not simply mean that in terms of providing labor,” Klemp said. “You are the ones who will be building homes; you are the ones who will be building our ships and planning our infrastructure; and you are the ones who will be cutting hair for many families. You are the gears that make the world go ‘round.”
Auth said that for the school, the event is part of an ongoing effort to expand offerings and improve visibility for the Chariho Career and Technical Center and its students.
The district has found growing success in SkillsUSA competition in recent years, he said, and enhancing visibility serves several important roles for both students and the community as a whole.
For the students, programs like signing day can provide motivation to learn and grow within the industry at a much faster rate. That often can equate to earlier or greater success and it provides graduates with value that those who received a traditional high school education including certifications.
Furthermore, Auth said it also gives the local community a talented artisan or craftsman and individuals who serve in a variety of ways, which provides more ready and available local services while also keeping Chariho graduates local.
“Having these students be able to enter right into the workforce is a big part of why we do what we do here,” Auth said. “With those honored today, we are recognizing the very types of student we are trying to build.”
Among those honored Tuesday were carpentry students Caleb Caswell and Colin Cooley, cosmetology students Ella Brayton and Shelby Jones, electrical students Lennon Rodgers and Nathan Marcotte, machinist Grace Russo, and welding students Alexander Kores and Massimo Alves.
Sitting alongside his father, uncle and grandfather following his letter-signing ceremony, Cooley said he was grateful to have the opportunity to gain certifications and join his family immediately following high school graduation. Having moved from Pennsylvania and joining the school at the start of the year, Cooley is on track to expand an already substantial amount of hours working for D Ray Inc.
Students like Cooley are extremely important for the region as it prepares for vast expansion economically, said keynote speaker William Barber, workforce development and youth education program lead for General Dynamics-Electric Boat. In the coming years, EB is preparing to add nearly 5,000 jobs between its facilities in Quonset and Groton.
Among the three students who are among several joining EB following graduation — Russo, Kores and Alves committed to EB on Tuesday — he said others like Cooley and Brayton provide critical services by building homes, cutting hair and more.
Barber encouraged those in attendance to be proud of their recognition and to know that they already have the skills and training needed to succeed.
“One piece of advice I have, document your credentials and be proud to sell yourself,” he told the seniors. “This is an awesome time to be in a trade in this region. Now is your time.”
