Latin Tech’s “at-risk” program

Seven months from now, Latin Tech hopes that 25 of its new students will be on a better life path - having completed their General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.) requirements, holding steady jobs in the telecommunication field, and living in adequate housing. So on Monday, January 8, school officials invited local politicians, who helped fund the new program, to visit the class.
“What we want to do is have the kids look at the politicians and see that they are connected to the school, connected to the class,” said Latin Tech Executive Director Rodolfo Herrera. “This is a commitment, and in seven months the politicians are going to come back and see how the kids are doing.”
Upon completion of the program, students, ages 16 through 18, will hold certificates in computer repair, network programming, telecommunications, and “voice over” technology, as well as their G.E.D., for all of the students who did not finish high school. Latin Tech then plans to place the graduates in industry positions, and work with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to help students in need of housing find apartments.
“It’s private industry, government, and labor working together to create the workforce of the future,” said Congressmember Joseph Crowley, who allocated $100,000 in federal funding toward the $180,000 program.
The 25 “at-risk” students, weeded out from a sizeable applicant pool from all five boroughs, will meet five days per week from 1 to 5 p.m. at Latin Tech in Jackson Heights. Herrera will teach some of the classes, particularly “Voice Over Internet-Protocol” sections, which is the technology of using broadband Internet to make phone calls, and Vladimir Nunez will lead other classes.
“All of them [students] are here because they want to be,” Herrera said.
“Everyone here wants to learn.”
Sixteen-year-old Feng Zheng said that the class was an opportunity to get back on track after he dropped out of high school.
“My old school didn’t fit me,” Zheng said.
“I joined [the class at Latin Tech] because I like computers,” he said. “I want to learn graphic design and create designs on things like T-shirts.”