Our Quarterly Newsletter: Fall Edition

Dear Friends,

Fall is interview season. I’ve spent the past few weeks sitting across the table from students who applied for Path to Purpose, and I’ve walked away from nearly every conversation impressed. These students are thinking critically about their futures, they know what they care about, they’re ready to go after it, and they’re asking for the chance to find out where it leads.

And this year there are more of them than ever. More than 340 juniors and seniors applied for Path to Purpose internships this year, up more than a third from 249 last year. Employers are answering too: 42 hosted interns in our pilot year, and more than 60 have already signed on for this spring.

Path to Purpose is growing because our community believes in it.

To every business owner, manager, and mentor who has opened your doors to a student: thank you. You’re giving young people their first real look at a career, and you’re helping shape the workforce our county will depend on for decades. Sometimes all it takes is one local employer willing to say yes. Every year, more of you are saying it, and there is always room for one more.

Our investment in classrooms grew as well. This year, we awarded over $140,000 through our Partnership Funding Opportunity to 15 projects in schools across the county, from automotive and construction trades to robotics, culinary arts, and middle school career exploration. Two of those grants expand health care training, at Analy High School and through Petaluma City Schools’ CNA summer program. They build on our ongoing work with local healthcare partners to grow the care workforce our community depends on.

And we keep trying new things. The STEM Kit Lending Library, our partnership with Sonoma Clean Power and Switch Vehicles, has gone from a three-classroom pilot to fully booked. Every kit is checked out for the year, giving students and teachers hands-on experience in clean energy and engineering.

Now we’re looking ahead. This month our board begins shaping CTE Foundation’s next strategic plan. We aren’t starting over. We’re building on what works and asking how to reach more students, more schools, and more corners of our county. Our vision stays the same: every student with a rewarding career that strengthens their life, our community, and our workforce. Our ambition for reaching it has never been greater.

One date for your calendar: Spark the Future! turns 10 on Thursday, May 6, 2027. A decade of celebrating students deserves a celebration of its own, and I hope you will be there.

Thank you for believing in what our students can become.

Eli Weinzveg
Executive Director, CTE Foundation