Nine Brockport High School business students are working to earn their New York State Career and Technical Education (CTE) Business Endorsement before they cross the stage at graduation on Saturday, June 24, 2023.
Generally, starting on their CTE Pathway between their freshman and junior years, students have three choices: Business Management & Administration, Marketing or Finance.
“Our department, Maria Daley, Mark Mutton, CTE Coordinator Frances Teta and I, felt that we had many students with an interest in business and there was no way to recognize them,” Chair of the Brockport High School Business Department Suzanne Sodoma explained.
In order to receive their endorsement, students are required to put in 108 hours at their Community Internship Program (CIP), pass a nationally accredited exam and complete performance tasks applicable to their pathway.
“It means you have shown an interest in business, taken a concentration in business classes, taken part in an internship that is applicable to your area of interest and completed all other requirements,” Sodoma said. “It's also something we as a department are passionate about and believe what we teach in our business classes is applicable in real life.”
Built-in to the department’s curricula are multiple opportunities for business students to engage with hands-on, real-world experiences including the Entrepreneurial Youth Summit in the fall and the Stock Market Challenge in the spring.
“Students experience the real world of work and its expectations,” Sodoma said.
In a world where it is becoming increasingly important to stand out on both your college and future career applications, this program offers students a way to further differentiate themselves from their classmates and be recognized for their interest in business.
“At the end of their internship experience, students receive an employability profile which rates how they worked in their internship,” Sodoma said.
The students eligible for their endorsement this spring include:
Hadeel Amireh
Braedon Apple
Maggie Chen
Nathan Hanshaw
Jaedon Roman
Madison Williams
Andrew Wilson
Jerry Zhang
