成人抖阴

Help fund stories like this.

OMAHA 鈥� On his first trip to Nebraska, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona held a turtle named Oogway in an urban agricultural lab. He rapped a bit in Spanish with teenagers in a construction-focused academy.

And he left Wednesday鈥檚 tour of Omaha Bryan High School saying that its career-connected technical academies, which prepare students for college or direct entry into a job, represented what the Biden administration wants to see more of across the country.

鈥淲e chose this school today, the day after the State of the Union, because I want to lift up what we鈥檙e seeing here,鈥� Cardona said.

High-paying jobs

What he said he saw in Bryan students 鈥� and programs featuring Urban Agriculture; Design & Construction; and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics 鈥� are examples of how the country can better meet future demand for 鈥渉igh-skilled, high-paying鈥� jobs expected through the CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Locally, there鈥檚 a movement to pave the way for some of those jobs in Nebraska. A bill before the Nebraska Legislature would authorize a state match for any federal funds a manufacturer locating in the state would obtain under the CHIPS Act, which the president signed into law in August. The act allocates $54 billion to help rebuild an industry that had fled overseas.

Cardona was escorted through Bryan鈥檚 1,800-student 鈥淏ear鈥� territory by students who led him to the urban ag academy鈥檚 greenhouse (that鈥檚 where he met Oogway the turtle), the logistics warehouse and the hall where students work on framing small houses and other construction projects.

Along his route to different classrooms, he chatted with kids in the hallways, and on a few instances, the former teacher with Puerto Rican heritage threw out some Spanish phrases. Though located in Bellevue, Bryan is part of Omaha Public Schools and prides itself on cultural diversity, as students from more than 30 countries who speak 33 languages are represented in its classrooms.

鈥楻aise the Bar鈥�

The education secretary has underscored the benefit of speaking more than one language. In his recently announced 鈥淩aise the Bar: Lead the World鈥� initiative, he said that learning multiple languages should be expected of U.S. students. And he spoke of administration goals for 2023 that included the need for 鈥渞eimagining college and career pathways鈥� and to challenge the view that 鈥渋t鈥檚 four-year college or bust.鈥�

Dual enrollment courses for local colleges, Cardona has said, should start at 11th grade and allow ambitious high schoolers to graduate with an associate鈥檚 degree or a credential 鈥渨ithout paying a penny.鈥�

He has said that the U.S. Education Department will expand opportunities for technical assistance and use of federal funding, and that if the department鈥檚 recommended pathways are forged, students could compete better on a global stage.

Highlighting Cardona鈥檚 visit to Bryan was a roundtable conversation with about a dozen students who spoke to him about their academic journeys and related job internships 鈥� Bryan pairs its students with up to 90 employers that offer job experience.

Making sure he heard from each teen, Cardona said he measured success in part by how the young people viewed the programs. After hearing from the students, he said he was impressed with the 鈥渙ptions鈥� the career-connected academies seemed to offer the budding workforce.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting valuable skills that are transferable,鈥� Cardona said.

Connection to outside world

For example, Leslie Lopez is in the transportation and logistics academy, where, as part of the curriculum, students pack up boxes filled with food for a pantry. Lopez plans to go into the medical field but said she gained appreciation in the academy for service and 鈥渉elping people鈥� that she expects to carry over to her future as a doctor.

Also at the roundtable was Bryan Benitez, a senior who already has racked up 38 college credits while in high school. He saw his time in the Advanced Academics academy as a 鈥渟tarting point鈥� for his dream career: neurosurgery.

Cardona said he was impressed with the internship partnership Bryan has with employers, saying internships could lead to a lifelong job. 鈥淚t gives us that connection to the outside world,鈥� he聽 said.

Senior Arian Gomez said he chose the transportation and logistics pathway because it aligned with the trade his dad works in. As part of the program, he has an internship with a car dealership.

When he graduates, he hopes to get an associate鈥檚 degree to work as an automotive technician and get a commercial driver鈥檚 license to drive a truck. Ultimately, he intends to work on a bachelor鈥檚 degree so he can move up into the management side of a business.

鈥淵ou could take your father鈥檚 business to another level,鈥� Cardona said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exciting.鈥�

鈥榃e see you, we see you鈥�

Of Cardona鈥檚 visit, Gomez and Benitez said they were proud to be able to showcase their school and teachers.

Dr. Rony Ortega, Bryan鈥檚 principal, said that while the technical academies were available in the past at Bryan, this was the first year for 鈥渨all-to-wall鈥� academies, meaning that all students must participate in one. Among other officials at the secretary鈥檚 visit were OPS superintendent Cheryl Logan. Ortega said he appreciated the Nebraska stop, which marked Cardona鈥檚 38th state he鈥檚 visited.

Said Ortega: 鈥淗aving the education secretary come to Bryan tells our kids, 鈥榃e see you, we see you.鈥欌��

For Gomez, the visit by the Latino cabinet member 鈥� who told the students he used to earn money by fixing cars 鈥� was particularly meaningful because of the auto connection.

鈥淲e got to express ourselves with someone recognizable in this country,鈥� said Gomez. 鈥淚t felt really good.鈥�

After Bryan, Cardona went to La Vista鈥檚 Educational Service Unit #3, where he participated in another roundtable conversation 鈥� that time with principals, superintendents and therapists to discuss the mental health services provided to students.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on and .

Help fund stories like this.