Tristen Hodges’ love for baking began in her mother’s kitchen.
Together, guided by a shared passion for confections, they spent hours mixing and measuring to create their culinary masterpieces — countless hours of tempering and kneading to create the perfect bread, pastries and cakes.
And while the Heritage High School senior’s love for the culinary arts might have begun at home, it was her time spent in her school’s culinary program that made her realize it could be a career.
And she isn’t the only one.
Hundreds of students in Henrico County Public Schools participate in the division’s robust career and technical education programs, and every year they get to show off their skills in the hopes of landing a job right out of high school.
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“I’ve learned a lot in my classes,” Hodges said. “They’ve really helped me a lot and to really grow my skills. My dream is to open my own bake shop.”

Antonio Aleman cuts Andy Givens’ hair during the Henrico County Public Schools career fair at Richmond Raceway on Thursday.
The Richmond Raceway Complex’s parking lot was unusually full for a Thursday afternoon.
Inside, visitors were met with a cacophony of sounds. Drills whirling. Hammers pounding. The familiar clicking of ratchets. Plus, the sharp smell of drying paint and hair spray lingered in the air.
Smiling to people milling around nearby, a student carrying a tray filled with hors d’oeuvres walked past a freshly coiffed Labrador retriever.
Those in attendance were there for one thing — the rodeo.
While there may have been Broncos — of the Ford variety — this was no ordinary rodeo.

Jacob Colt shows off his electrician skills during the HCPS career fair at Richmond Raceway on Thursday.
The LifeReady Career Rodeo, hosted by Henrico’s school division, is a decades-long tradition that sees all of the division’s senior career and technical education students showcase what they have learned to potential employers.
From welding to masonry to cosmetology to practical nursing, each one of the more than 25 career and technical education programs offered within the division set up a booth.
There, students showed off their skills as hundreds of regional employers — many clad in their work uniforms and armed with clipboards — observed and took notes. Many came to assess potential talent and, if they liked what they saw, recruit them to join their workforce.
That is the case for roughly a quarter of the student participants who leave the event with jobs lined up after they graduate.

Deidy Medina cuts Oscar Oarin’s hair while Antonio Aleman cuts Andy Givens’ hair during the HCPS career fair on Thursday.
“There’s three of them right there who will be coming to work for me next summer,” said Mike Chaney, founder of James River Exteriors, as he pointed to a group of students mortaring a column of bricks together. “It’s a unique experience for us as employers to see them operate.”
“If they can work here in this fishbowl, with a lot of strangers walking up and looking at them, and they are still solving problems and figuring out what they’re trying to build, there’s your talent,” Chaney added.
The event, first held in 2000, is the brainchild of Mac Beaton, the division’s director of workforce and career development.
Beaton, who noticed a need for more career-ready employment opportunities, said his goal was to eliminate the awkward interview process many students have to go through after graduation.

Aniyah Hunter and Christian Switzer build a cornhole game during the LifeReady Career Rodeo held by Henrico County Public Schools at Richmond Raceway on Thursday.
While he had been to numerous career fairs that helped bring students out to meet potential employers, he wanted to find a way for them to showcase their skills. So he flipped the concept on its head. Instead of bringing students to the employers, he brought the employers to the students.
And they have continued to see success each year by creating a continual pipeline of students pouring into the local workforce.
“These students are looking for opportunities, and employers are looking for employees,” Beaton said. “So what better way to bring them together?”
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