My name is Rose Schoshinski, and this week I joined the ACTE team as an intern in the Public Policy Department. I recently completed my sophomore year at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, as a Government major and Hispanic Studies minor. I am excited to supplement this coursework with this opportunity to work alongside and learn from the respected professionals in the Public Policy Department while advocating for CTE.
In this position, I will assist in conducting research, writing for the CTE Policy Watch Blog, and crafting advocacy materials. Additionally, I will have the opportunity to attend meetings and hearings on Capitol Hill relating to CTE. Through this work I am excited to contribute to advocacy for CTE programs that provide crucial opportunities for many Americans.
Before joining this team, I conducted advocacy work for humane immigration policies. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I co-founded an online platform called “The Voices of Migrants” with the goal of elevating the stories of immigrants as an essential step toward facilitating legislation in support of these communities. Through informational blog posts, webinars, interviews and social media campaigns, the site displays the reality of the migrant experience and the human element that can often be overlooked in policy.
Through this work I saw firsthand the importance of education, but also observed that certain groups do not have equal access to educational opportunities. Additionally, this year I had the opportunity to take a course about the historical and modern role of race and ethnicity in the U.S. school system. In this course, I learned about many shortcomings of our current education system, but it also introduced me to CTE as a current strength of the system. I studied the ways in which CTE develops important skills for students that can generate future success and provide crucial opportunities. Through this I developed a particular interest in education and CTE that draws me to this work.
Given this passion, I am excited to become a part of the ACTE team and begin this critical work. I am grateful to the Public Policy Department and the entire team for welcoming me to the organization and providing me with the opportunity to advocate for CTE. I look forward to working on behalf of our members toward greater access and quality of CTE programs across the United States. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if I can be a resource to you.
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