STORIES
Student Success Stories, Partner Stories & Organizational Updates
Meet Paulo: “Tú Eres Mi Otro Yo.”
Paulo Martinez Alamillo showed up to his first day at the County of Sonoma Office of Equity in his dad's shoes. Four months later, he walked into his final presentation carrying a painting he'd made for the team…
CTE Foundation awards $140,274 in grants to Sonoma County classrooms
This school year, a group of Santa Rosa High School students will build a working bathroom on wheels. In Petaluma, teenagers will balance tires on the same equipment used in professional shops. At Elsie Allen High School, agriculture students will pour a concrete floor in their livestock barn alongside a local contractor…
Meet Dante: “I Found That I Belong Here.”
Dante M. walked into LEMO USA worried he wouldn't seem competent. Four months later, an engineer kept asking for him by name. "I was kind of worried at first, trying to prove that I have some technical know-how. Yes, I know electrical components, I know what they are. That was kind of my worry at first - presenting myself as someone competent…"
Sonoma Clean Power and CTE Foundation Expand Free STEM Kit Access
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the public power provider for Sonoma and Mendocino counties, and the Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation are expanding hands-on clean energy education through a free STEM Kit Lending Library now available to middle and high school teachers throughout the region…
Built to Last: 80 Years of Friedman’s Home Improvement
For 80 years, Friedman’s Home Improvement has done more than sell lumber and hardware. We sat down with third-generation owner Barry Friedman to talk about family, trust and why investing in Sonoma County’s next generation of builders is, in his words, “in our blood.”
Meet Rosy: “I Discovered My Potential.”
A year ago, I never would have imagined myself writing an opinion piece for CTE Foundation, or any organization. I was quiet. I avoided speaking in class whenever I could. Even though I cared about my future, I did not really see myself as someone capable of doing big things…
A Season of Powerful Change – Our 2025-2026 Year in Review
Happy summer! One year ago, I joined CTE Foundation as Executive Director. Having a front row seat to witness the remarkable work this team does is inspiring, and I’m proud to share some of what we accomplished this spring. But before I get into the numbers, I want to say something about the people behind them…
Who Will Care for Sonoma County’s Future Patients?
This summer, 26 students crossed the stage at Fox Pacific Academy, marking the completion of their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and the beginning of something much bigger: a future in healthcare in Sonoma County…
What Happens When Local Industry Opens Its Doors to Students?
In 2025, at CTE Foundation’s annual event, Spark the Future, we offered a live auction item that centered around a student-designed and student-supported dinner experience. Mark and Terri Stark, owners of Stark Reality Restaurants, placed the winning bid. But instead of simply receiving the experience, Mark and Terri came back with a different idea…
Innovation in Action: Reimagining the Student Experience Together
At its core, an intermediary is a connector. The role can be complicated and nuanced and sometimes feels like trying to plan a simple Saturday with friends. One person wants to spend the afternoon wine tasting in Healdsburg, another wants fish tacos out at Bodega Bay, someone else refuses to drive over Highway 12 after noon, and somehow you are the one expected to pull it all together without too much complaining in the group text….
Sutter Health and CTE Foundation Partner to Strengthen Health Career Pathways for Sonoma and Lake County Students
Not-for-profit Sutter Health and Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation Sonoma County are proud to announce a new partnership, supported financially through a County Medical Services Program (CMSP) grant, to strengthen education-to-career pathways in Health Sciences for students in Sonoma and Lake Counties…
Meet Merari: “My Sports Medicine Class Opened Doors.”
When Merari enrolled in her Sports Medicine class at Analy High School, she had no idea the impact it would have on her future. She was passionate about helping people, but she didn’t know where to start, or what was possible. “I had no idea this career was even an option for me.” Merari shared. “This class taught me so much and opened doors I didn’t know existed…”
Inclusive By Design: Five Key Strategies for Inclusion and Belonging
On November 7, 2025, in partnership with Beyond Equity in Education, CTE Foundation hosted Inclusive By Design, a workshop for employers and mentors focused on creating internships where all students feel welcomed, supported and empowered to thrive…
From Uncertainty to Possibility: The Emerging Story of Elsie Allen
For over a decade, Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation has been the connective tissue helping Sonoma County students turn aspiration into opportunity. We partner with schools like Santa Rosa City Schools, colleges, and local businesses to create pathways to high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers – the very careers that drive our region and offer our students a chance to thrive right here at home…
Seizing the moment for classroom to career success
As students head back to class, Santa Rosa City Schools is reimagining some of its secondary campuses for a new 7-12 model. This shift creates an unprecedented opportunity for younger students to gain earlier exposure and even access to programs, classrooms and industry-standard tools that prepare them for college and careers…
The State of CTE in Sonoma County – August 2025
As summer unfolds across Sonoma County and our schools take a seasonal pause, it’s a time not just for reflection, but for clarity and urgency. We are at a pivotal moment in public education. At a time when local districts are grappling with declining enrollment, significant budget shortfalls, and even school closures, students and families are asking important questions…
Santa Rosa High is Building Futures with Connected Learning in the Trades
Connected learning gives students exciting ways to pursue their ambitions. At CTE Foundation, we believe in the power of targeted investment to spark change, transforming our education system into an accelerator for student empowerment and economic growth. Sometimes, a relatively small grant can act as a catalyst, setting off a chain reaction that embodies our core idea…
Foundations from Across the Country Convene in Santa Rosa to Address Skilled Trades Education and Training
Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation of Sonoma County proudly hosted the first-ever in-person convening of the Skilled Trades Funders Kitchen Table, welcoming approximately 19 funders from across the nation to collaborate on the growing importance of skilled trades education and workforce development. This convening was led by the Smidt Foundation and Harbor Freight Tools for Schools…
Meet The TBC: “Creating a Professional Impact Video.”
When CTE Foundation needed a video to show what career-connected learning actually looks like across Sonoma County, we didn't hire an agency. We hired Petaluma High School's Digital Media class - Trojan Broadcast, run by Mr. Dawsari - and handed over the whole thing. Planning, filming, producing, editing. All of it, done by high school students…
Meet Zach: “A Better Direction & A Clear Path.”
Zach Baird was finished with school before school was finished with him. "I felt kind of done by my senior year," he says. That's not an unusual thing for a graduating senior to feel, and it's usually treated as a problem to push through. Zach did something else with it. Instead of enrolling somewhere he didn't want to be, he took a gap year - a structured one, with a paycheck attached…