Santa Barbara Partners in Education held a breakfast Wednesday morning at Bacara Resort & Spa to honor students for excellence in career technical education and the internship program.
The event was briefly interrupted by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake that shook the South Coast, after which every principal and superintendent dashed outside to call and check on their schools. The building was briefly evacuated.
After the breakfast resumed, Wally Hofmann of Hofmann Architecture talked about his experience with the internship program.
He and his son, Matthew, hosted Santa Barbara High School senior Ivy Vargas for the last year, and he said everyone got a lot out of the experience.
Vargas said she wants to be a film director and has experience shooting video from SBHS’ Multimedia Arts and Design Academy, which made her a great fit to help with marketing for the Hofmanns.
She made promotional videos for their business, Santa Barbara Auto Camp, and helped give tours of the airstream trailers.
“I turned my creative interest and talents into marketable assets for the real world,” she said.
The Partners in Education internship program matches students with local businesses, and teaches job preparedness in a six-week course.
Vargas was shy the first day, Hofmann recalled, but “she has truly become part of our family” in the past year.
Vargas plans to enroll at Santa Barbara City College in the fall and said she is starting her own business doing television commercials and other video work.
Student, Jacob Contreras of Rincon High School worked at the Carpinteria Veterinary Hospital through the internship program. He said he had trouble in school, but with some job training he was able to get the internship and now even has his own set of keys. He said it feels really good to have people rely on him.
Dozens of students were honored Wednesday at the 32nd Annual Student Awards.
Student Award Recipients for Career Technical Education
» Shawn Bandarchian, Dos Pueblos High School
» Claire Bergthold, Santa Barbara High School
» Rachel Bishop, Santa Barbara High School
» Paul Bramsen, Dos Pueblos High School
» Erin Callaway, Dos Pueblos High School
» Steven Allan Cannon, Dos Pueblos High School
» Llasmin Cardenas, Santa Barbara High School
» Arianna Estrada, Santa Barbara High School
» Matthew Figueroa, Santa Barbara High School
» Elizabeth Flores, Dos Pueblos High School
» Dania Gallegos Hernandez, San Marcos High School
» Joshua Graham, Dos Pueblos High School
» Patrick Hall, Santa Barbara High School
» Jorge Jimenez, Dos Pueblos High School
» Nick Kvistad, Santa Barbara High School
» Frankie Lewis, Santa Barbara High School
» Noe Leyva, Dos Pueblos High School
» Michael Alexander Lopez, San Marcos High School
» Alejandro Medina, San Marcos High School
» Henry Roman, San Marcos High School
» Andres Soriano, Carpinteria High School
» Isabel Topete, Mission Community School
» Lester Wright, Dos Pueblos High School
» Kyla Zavala, Santa Barbara High School
» Kendall Zoesch, Dos Pueblos High School
Student Award Recipients for Partners in Education Internship Program
» Orlando Bulfeda-Castro, La Cuesta Continuation High School
» Yaneisy Camacho, San Marcos High School
» Jacqueline Campos, El Puente Community School
» Llasmin Cardenas, Santa Barbara High School
» Jacob Contreras, Rincon High School
» Jacob Escobar, El Puente Community School
» Carlos Garcia, San Marcos High School
» Luis Garcia, El Puente Community School
» Kevin Garcia-Moreno, San Marcos High School
» Yoana Guerra-Cuevas, Santa Barbara High School
» Julie Hernandez, San Marcos High School
» Eliza Landeros, San Marcos High School
» Brennen Libhart, Santa Barbara High School
» Jasmin Lopez, Carpinteria High School
» Kasandra Manzo-Velasco, La Cuesta Continuation High School
» Luis Marquez Lopez, San Marcos High School
» Joseph Martinez, San Marcos High School
» Abraham Moreno, Dos Pueblos High School
» Kassandra Nunez, Santa Barbara High School
» Claudia Perez, San Marcos High School
» Agustin Popoca, San Marcos High School
» Barbara Ramirez, San Marcos High School
» Paloma Rangel, San Marcos High School
» Jessica Rios, San Marcos High School
» Maria Cristina Rodriguez, Rincon High School
» Raquel Sanchez, Santa Barbara High School
» Reyna Sanchez, Santa Barbara High School
» Virginia Santiago, San Marcos High School
» Patricia Sotelo, San Marcos High School
» Nicole Stevens, Dos Pueblos High School
» Diana Tapia, San Marcos High School
» Jesus Terrazas, Santa Barbara High School
» Marisol Torres, San Marcos High School
» Karla Cardona Torres, Carpinteria High School
» Daisy Lomeil Torres, Santa Barbara High School
» Ivy Vargas, Santa Barbara High School
» Kevin Vega, San Marcos High School
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.