Last week, I visited with seniors from CAST Lead High School’s first graduating class. Angel San Miguel spent the summer at HOLT CAT’s headquarters, alternating between different departments and getting to know senior leaders including Peter Holt. Yasmin Martinez worked at the Pearl where she shadowed Chef John Brand and met Silver Ventures CEO Bryant Ambelang. Gracie Polasek is continuing an internship with Indeco, where she helped design classroom furniture layouts for CAST Teach High School.

Over the past few weeks, I have also been harvesting stories from our alumni as many prepare to graduate from college. CAST Tech graduate Hezron Perez is completing his degree at UTSA in computer science in 2.5 years. CAST STEM graduate Mary Naw will finish her civil engineering degree in 3.5 years. Both cherish their memories of specific teachers and experiences in school, but what was most memorable in their experience was the opportunity to test what they learned in school in real-world jobs and internships.

In the world of education, we have a terrible habit of wanting to identify the one thing that will transform education, and oh, if it were only that simple. At CAST Schools, we are committed to practices including project-based and personalized learning, student-centered advising, mentoring and more. But when students reflect on their journey, so many share that the experiences they had with industry partners were in many cases, life changing. 

So thanks to all you employers out there who keep inviting our students back year after year, and also to those of you who are new. On Thursday November 9, we hosted our third annual breakfast for employers who are new to hosting high school interns, and more than 30 attended. We’re so grateful to see that every year more partners see the value proposition, have a positive experience with young people, and come to believe in the “long interview.” If you want more information about hosting a CAST intern, please contact Alex Rodriguez at alexandra@castchools.com

Jeanne Russell

Executive Director

CAST Schools