Several San Juan County students receive Career and Technical Education scholarships

Four high school seniors in the San Juan School District (SJSD) earned Career and Technical Education (CTE) scholarships, the Utah State Board of Education announced on March 19.
Brittany Grover, Staten Perkins, and Kash Shumway of San Juan High School and Rianna Shumway of Monticello High School were all named CTE scholarship recipients. Perkins ultimately declined his scholarship to pursue a different career path.
Brittany Grover, of San Juan High School, will enter the Utah State University-Blanding (USU) Health Sciences program this fall. She’s pursuing a career as a Radiology Technician.
Grover says, “I heard about the CTE scholarship when the CTE coordinator visited our financial literacy class.  I also had a health science teacher, Tracy Johnson, who encouraged us to apply.
“The application did require a lot of documentation, and luckily I had kept most of my certificates from high school, but the CTE coordinator did help me download my CTE Skills Tests Certifications. My health science teacher also helped by writing a letter of recommendation for the scholarship.
“I want to pursue a career in health sciences, and right now am very interested in entering a radiology technician program.
“I have always been interested in health careers, but after taking classes from Tracy Johnson, I really became interested in health careers.
“I would tell students to take CTE classes! Take them! Even if you don’t end up going into the career for the classes you took, you can still benefit from the skills you learn in CTE classes!
Kash Shumway, of San Juan High School, is working toward a career in Auto Collision Repair and received a scholarship in the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics program at Bridgerland Technical College in Logan, UT.
Shumway says, “My mom actually heard about the scholarship from [SJSD CTE Pathway Coordinator] Jeanna Grover, and I heard about it from Paisley Lyman. Sherri Pugh, our school counselor, helped me get the application and fill it out.
“I would like to pursue a career in auto body repair because I have a love for trucks and cars. If students are considering taking a CTE course, I would tell them, ‘Do it! You won’t regret it!’”
Rianna Shumway, of Monticello High School, received a scholarship to the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics program at USU-Blanding and will pursue a career as a pilot.
She says, “My CTE teacher told me about the scholarship and I was able to complete the application on my own. I would like to pursue a career in aviation and become a pilot.
“I attended a community event where students were able to go for a plane ride which sparked my interest in becoming a pilot.
“Although we don’t have aviation classes in our high school I would still encourage students to take as many CTE classes as they can, even if it seems unnecessary. They are very helpful for scholarships, they teach you a lot, and they are a lot of fun!”
The scholarship recipients were to be honored at an awards banquet on April 21 at Salt Lake Community College, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
According to the Utah Board of Education, “Career and Technical Education provides all students access to high-quality, rigorous, career-focused programs that result in attainment of credentials with labor market value.”
The Board reports in the 2018-2019 school year 163,690 students were enrolled in CTE courses in the state.
Only 90 received the CTE Scholarship and Tuition Award.