Ri'Keishia Seward
Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools
Nominated in 2023
Ri'Keishia Seward is a learner and student with HCCTS California Innovative Career Academy. Focused, persistent, and bright are just a few words to best describe Ri’Keishia. Since her enrollment in July 2022, I have witnessed and experienced just that! Ri’Keishia came in with transfer credits and has added an impressive 35 credits to her academic record. Ri’Keishia shared with me that she was “playing no games!” She wanted to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to complete her high school education. Understandably, Ri’Keishia faced some roadblocks along the way, like most adult learners.
Ri’Keishia, at the age of sixteen, was tasked with raising her younger siblings after the parental adults in her life became addicted to drugs and inattentive to parenting. With the support of her diligent grandmother and family members, Ri’Keishia was afforded a childhood in addition to caring for her brothers. Coincidentally, Ri’Keishia would find herself pregnant at the age of sixteen. Odds were stacked against her, she was forced to drop out of school; overwhelmed with raising her brothers and now a son of her own. By the age 19, through hard work and family support, she was able to secure her first apartment, always with the lingering thought of completing her high school education.
Over the years, she worked unfavorable jobs to support her now two sons, brothers, and herself. She deferred her hopes of completing school to ensure her two sons graduated from high school. Her efforts paid off and she watched her two sons graduate and secure employment. Now it's her time!
Ri'Keishia, established herself as a Campus Protection Officer and is considered the first chain of command in the line of duty. She is responsible for overseeing/ training the security team, conducting one on one patient watches, admitting and discharging the deceased from the depository.
Ri’Keishia has received multiple offers of employment due to observable skills: leadership, compassion for the sick and mentally disadvantaged around the grounds of the hospital, limitless receipt of certificates of achievement demonstrating her ability to effectively interact with others; her command of respect amongst her peers in executing challenges that comes her way.
Ri’Keishia is looking forward to pursuing one of our CTE programs: Medical Assistant/CNA we offer here at Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools (CICA). She wants to build upon her existing skills and continue to help others in the capacity of a medical professional. The technical skills in navigating the Google platform have already aided her in: conducting training using Google slides; how to professionally deliver communication in employing emails; scheduling employees for meetings using the Google calendar; and effectively disseminating communication utilizing Google sites for announcements, brochures, and signs.
In closing, Ri’Keishia, shares that a high school diploma/CTE program, “will give me something to be proud of, a personal accomplishment; as well as show my children that we never give up on our hopes, dreams or ourselves.”
