By Derrick Smith

Students have many options open to them when they graduate high school. Attending a college or university or going straight into the workforce are a couple options they have. They also have an option that they can begin working on their future while they are still in high school and that is what Constance Ruiz decided to do. “I am currently in the Digital Design program at Northwest Technology Center,” she said. “I have also taken the BioMed program. I first learned about the tech center when we got to tour it and I really liked the environment and all the programs they had to offer.”

Ruiz, who is a senior at Alva High School, says she decided on the Digital Design program because she feels it will help open doors in the future. “I love editing pictures and also working on the computer,” she said. “So this program is a perfect mixture of both. I feel like my generation is technology based so having a good understanding of computers will be very important in the future.”

At Alva, Constance plays softball and runs track for the Goldbugs. She says that over her career in both sports, she has made some great memories, but there are a couple that stand out as her favorite. “I’ve had a couple of great moments playing sports,” she said. “One is going to state in the pole vault my freshman year. And the other is when we made it to regionals in softball this season.”

Along with sports, Ruiz is also a member of the Key Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Student Council. When she graduates, she plans to attend college but she has not yet decided on what her major will be.

Constance says that if someone is considering going to the technology center, she would definitely urge them to. “I would absolutely encourage them to get into a program at a Tech,” she said. “The environment is completely different from a high school and the classes offered are really nice to take because of things such as the certifications that you are able to get from them.”