Touchdown for CTE
When the whistle blew for the first game, I was reminded of my alarm clock. It was a brisk December morning. I crawled out of bed to prepare for a long day at the Cardinal’s Stadium volunteering for NFL Flag’s Regional Tournament. My teacher had booked another community service opportunity for students and I was going to be working at the NFL Flag Football event. The energized atmosphere of the entire tournament completely intrigued me; from the parents cheering on the kids, the athletes focused on the end zone, and to the refs watching every move.
I was given scorekeeping duties. As little of a job it sounds, scorekeeping contributes greatly to a well-run tournament. I met the staff and instantly was fascinated that they did these sports events for a career. I knew I had to go above my duties as a volunteer if I wanted to have future opportunities to volunteer with them again! I was motivated to be a part of this an inspiring organization. Their jobs sounded so awesome! I texted a picture of myself working to my teacher and told her that I had just found my career! I stayed longer than my volunteer shift hours required and helped the staff, from the Indiana office, with anything they needed. I wanted to do a great job. I wanted them to notice me and invite me back the next time they had an event in Arizona.
Through my CTE classes, I learned one important gesture that many students overlook: write a thank-you note. The Monday after the event, I told my AOHT & DECA advisor, Deb Moore, all about it. She has stacks of thank-you cards, so I wrote one with all my contact information, what I learned from the staff that day, and expressed my hope to be able to work with them in the future.
A month later, they called me back with an offer to be Volunteer Coordinator for National Championship Game at Super Bowl 49. My task was to assemble 32 volunteers for a three-day weekend. As coordinator, I gathered volunteers through my community to help setup for the national game to ensure the football players around the country had a memorable experience. When the coordinators at NFL Flag asked me to be in charge of gathering volunteers, I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to complete the project. Luckily, using my skills, I found all 32 volunteers in two days.
It was the communication and organization skills I learned in class and on other real events that our school hosts that made it easy for me to accomplish this task. I had learned about marketing and hospitality in my CTE classes. I had opportunities to apply that knowledge at our school in meaningful ways with the events that we hosted. As a result of all those experiences, I have been invited to Super Bowl 50 as NFL Flag Championship Volunteer Coordinator for the second year in a row. I will be in San Francisco working and I am still in high school!
I truly encourage all CTE teachers, DECA advisors and NAF teachers to teach students about real life situations. Let them participate in project-based learning experiences. It really does make a difference in their career choices. And trust me, students will learn more out of a real life project than any textbook or test!
NFL Flag is not only a touchdown for the kids, but it is for my future career too thanks to CTE!
By Kathy Nguyen a student at Raymond S. Kellis High School in Glendale, Arizona
(shown in photo with teacher, Debbie Moore)