Students debuted a 16-foot float in the parade just weeks after opening.
Just weeks after opening its doors to students in January, Rick Lott Technical College is already rolling into the spotlight.
Students enrolled in building trades and construction technology, welding and electricity programs, debuted a 16-foot, bright red float in the Florida Strawberry Festival Grand Parade, transforming a rusty trailer into a showcase of skill, teamwork, and school pride.
“It was more of a team effort —a class effort,” said Aziel Perdomo, a building construction student. “We went through the basics of learning power tools and learning how to work together as a team, so we have a finished product here.”
The school, which launched its first term in January, already has full programs and nearly 200 students on a waiting list. Students attend five hours a day and complete their programs within 12 months.
For some students, the float wasn’t their first large-scale, real-world project.
“It’s hands-on experience,” said Teresita Vasquez, also in building construction and owner of Samara Industries. “It gives us practice learning the normal tools we’ll use in the real world— drywall drills, saws, routers, sanders, screwdrivers—the basics used at construction sites.”
But it wasn’t just decorative work. Underneath the strawberry-red exterior sits a fully-restored, usable trailer.
Students put the trailer on blocks, removed worn tires and rotted 2-by-6 boards, sanded the entire frame and repainted it black. They welded supports, rebuilt the wooden floor, replaced the tires and rims, and installed a new jack on the front. After completing the electrical wiring, they ran lights so the trailer could be used off-site long after the parade decorations are removed.
The most challenging part? Framing.
“Some of the wood would bulge because of the weather,” the students said. “We had to straighten it once it was built so it could be perfect.”
Despite the challenges, the students agreed that representing their new school in such a well-known community event was worth the effort.
“I’m excited for people to see our float and learn about what the college offers,” Perdomo said.
Many students already have long-term goals in mind—from earning a general contractor’s license to becoming OSHA 500 certified or expanding their own construction business.
Principal Gary Graham, who has worked in Plant City for years, said participating in the parade was significant for the new campus.
“We know what the Strawberry Festival means to this community,” Graham said. “To be there amongst schools that have been in the parade for decades, it means a lot—and it means a lot to market our school.”
He called himself “a guide on the side” as students tackled the project under a tight deadline.
“To see students who are coming for a specific reason—to learn a trade—and watching them find that niche, whether it’s welding or electricity, it’s exciting,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch the progress and see the pride in what they’re producing.”
He hopes the float sends a clear message: skilled trades are thriving, and the workforce is needed.
“Hopefully, in a year they’ll be employed by businesses right here in our community,” Graham said. “Our motto is ‘Find Your Future,’ and we hope students are heading in that direction.”
The parade-ready float served as both a rolling advertisement and a working classroom—proof that even a school only weeks old can already be building something solid.
