High school athletes are often celebrated for signing national letters of intent to play college sports, but Plant City also celebrates high school seniors who are entering the workforce right after graduation.
Thursday brought something new to the table for Durant High School, Plant City High School and Simmons Career Center as 16 students participated in a new ceremony inspired by National Signing Day and hosted by Plant City Career Academy. Representatives from each business or organization that hired the students joined Mayor Rick Lott, members of the Plant City Economic Development Corporation and those involved with Plant City Career Academy at each school to watch and cheer the students on as they signed ceremonial certificates.
Lott addressed the students and audience members at each school and spoke positively of both the work of the Career Academy and of Plant City’s own economic growth, noting that the influx of corporations moving to the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World means hundreds of jobs at a time are or will be opening up. He congratulated the signees for taking the initiative to leave high school with a solid plan and encouraged those who have not yet found work to stay strong and keep putting their resumes out there.
“You’re graduating with a plan, and you might be graduating with a job,” Lott told the audience at Plant City High School. “This is all about starting the next phase of your life.”
Durant
Jimmy Hodges (Stingray Chevrolet)
Plant City
Janaecia Moore (Network Transaction Solutions)
Brisa Rodriguez (Network Transaction Solutions)
Jorge Alvarez (Apprenticeship with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 915)
Jesus Bustamante (Apprenticeship with IBEW Local 915)
Antonio Chavez (Apprenticeship with IBEW Local 915)
Rigoberto Rosales (Apprenticeship with IBEW Local 915)
Josue Montellano-Moreno (Apprenticeship with IBEW Local 915)
Simmons
Jose Sanchez (College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving)
Austin Simmons (Sensenich Propellers)
Alexandra Pereira-Baez (Hard Rock)
Eduardo Lara (Hard Rock)
JaQuan Peoples (Hard Rock)
Diana Garcia (Hard Rock)
Artemio Ramirez (Hard Rock)
Paola Ramirez (Hard Rock)