Originally Appeared on KCEN on January 23, 2020

KILLEEN, Texas — A group of students at Killeen Independent School District's Career Center got a special visit from a local politician on Thursday. 

Congressman John Carter joined students for lunch to discuss their plans after high school.

KISD said the Career Center is a fully-provisioned, state-of-the-art facility where students from all four KISD high schools can select courses that are consistent with their program of study. 

The Career Center offers business partnerships, work-based learning for students, certifications, licensures, college credit opportunities, and hands-on educational experiences.

At first, Shoemaker High School student Triston Haynes wanted to go into healthcare but later decided that field wasn't really his thing. 

"I went to my counselor and I said. 'Hey, I’m really good at talking and I really love music, what can I do?'" Haynes said. “So, she advised me to do digital audio and technology, and that was a Career Center option. So, I chose to do it." 

Haynes discovered his real passion was broadcasting with the dream job of being a morning show radio personality.

"My first time hearing myself on the radio, I can’t even explain how magical that was for me,” Haynes said. 

Haynes is getting a jump start in his career by attending the career center, which offers more than 40 courses of study in career technical educational fields. 

When students got a special visit from Carter, they gave him a tour of the facility. 

"I absolutely love it,” Carter said. "These kids are getting careers that will take them through their entire life. I think it’s great." 

Haynes said if it wasn't for the career center, his future might have been uncertain. 

"I look at it as a blessing. Before this, I didn’t have a goal. I didn’t have a mindset. I didn’t have a plan after high school. But with this, I've been blessed with many opportunities," Haynes said.

High school students can take career technical education coursework at all four traditional high schools and at the KISD Career Center with flexible full-day or half-day scheduling options.