Giving purpose to potential requires an amount of hard work only a handful of students can bring. With dedication, students can use their individual skills to participate in a variety of competitions to further their interest and knowledge in their specific career field. Throughout the United States, there is a program students can join that will help them pursue and network with peers like-minded based on a career.  Business Professionals Of America, or BPA, is the leading Career Technical Student Organization in America, BPA allows students to become exposed to opportunities and community services they can’t find in certain areas. It is no different to Seguin High School where students just came off of their Regional Leadership Competition walking away with a select few who advanced to the State Leadership Conference in Dallas Texas on March 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The State of Texas provides provisions and possibilities for many students across the state. With a great advantage, Seguin High School’s BPA Advisor happens to be the BPA State Advisor for Texas, Mrs. Diana Weber. With 27 years in the business and education playing field, Weber has the expertise to lead Texas to the top of the list. Backed with a Bachelors of Arts from Texas Lutheran College and a Masters of Education from Texas Wesleyan University, she is more than qualified to sculpt students into the best form they can become in the business field. “I am most proud of our membership this year.”, states Weber. “We have grown to 10,696 students, and I’m thrilled!”. With that number continuously growing, Diana Weber creates pathways that help students in separate programs at Seguin High School.

To provide further understanding, BPA allows for the use of multiple careers to be competed in, whether the writing and research of journalism, or the health and accounting of the medical field. At Seguin, BPA collaborated with numerous programs including The Health Occupations Students Of America, Business Information Management Team, and the SHS Audio/Video Association. The organization is also partnered with Seguin High School’s CTE (Career Technical Education) Department to further encourage students from different programs to join. Rightfully so, Seguin High School earned the ratio of 42 students participating in competitions at the Regional Level, with 32 of them qualifying for state, however, SHS BPA President Kyle Fiebig is working to get all students to go state, whether as an intern or competitor. As the president, Fiebig creates endless opportunities for students to grow in education as well as the workforce. Notably, Kyle Fiebig was also elected President of the Area 3, Region 3 Chapter for BPA in the State Of Texas.

Founded in the 1960’s, BPA has no plans to stop growing anytime soon. With the BPA State Leadership Conference starting in March of 2023, students can use this as an opportunity to gather information and meet new people in a field they are interested in. Areas such as the audio/video production field, medical field, or accounting administration, Business Professionals of America creates countless opportunities for students with a wide range of interests. With the help of Mrs. Diana Weber, Seguin High School can streamline future students into career jobs in the future, or in other words, giving purpose to potential.

Seguin High School (SHS) is buzzing with anticipation as they prepare to unveil their first- ever student-produced radio station, Matador Radio, soon to launch on the Tune In Radio App from early March 2023. It will be a student-led and produced radio station that will offer a variety of music and student-produced podcasts and will broadcast 24/7.

Timothy Cantu, the mastermind and teacher behind Matador Radio, has revealed that the radio station will broadcast throughout the day, with an auto DJ handling the programming. “Students will be able to choose their own genre of music and host two-hour shows,” Mr. Cantu said. “At noon, we’ll do lunch hour podcasts and throughout the day our listeners will hear daily announcements, entertainment news, and local, state, and national news, pretty much what you would hear on a regular live-streaming radio station.” Matador Radio will also promote school events such as sporting events, blood drives, art shows, and performances by the theater arts department. “My hope is that students in my classes will learn another skill they can implement after high school and overall just have fun with it,” Mr. Cantu added.

Mr. Cantu began planning the radio station when he started teaching the class. “I thought this was a great idea ever since December. We have a lot of space in the classroom, and we can make it work,” he said.Currently, students are working on promos, jingles, pre-recorded podcasts, organizing music, and practicing live shows.

“This will help students learn to bounce ideas off each other and talk on air without stepping over each other,” says Mr. Cantu. “I feel like I’m getting a more confident voice,” says Elijah Flores, SHS senior and DJ/producer for Matador Radio. “[I] love being able to spread positivity through music with my classmates.” The purpose of Matador

Radio is to give students another avenue they can follow within the realm of Audio/Video Production. The excitement surrounding the launch of Matador Radio is palpable, and it is set to become a vital part of the school community. “The skies the limit with this new venture,” says Mr. Cantu. “We can have people dedicate songs, request songs, win prizes during radio shows, anything we want to help promote our campus and put us on the map.”

As a student at Seguin High School, I am thrilled to see what Matador Radio can bring to our school. We have all been looking forward to the opportunity to listen to music and stay informed about school events. Matador Radio will undoubtedly become a hub of activity on campus, bringing together students and staff in a new and exciting way.

The launch of Matador Radio is sure to mark a new chapter in the history of SHS. With the continued hard work and dedication of Mr. Cantu and his student-led team, Matador Radio, hopes to become a staple not only at SHS, but in the Seguin community. Mr. Cantu and his students have worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition, and their hard

work and dedication are sure to pay off. So, get ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy some great music, entertainment, and fun. If you want to know when the radio launches, check out Seguin ISD’s website at seguin.k12.tx.us or follow them on Instagram (@seguinisd) or Matador Radio (@matcastshs).

The City of Seguin hosted their first Youth Career Expo that brought in local 8th graders into the coliseum to learn about the Career and Technical Education Programs (CTE) at local high schools including Seguin High School (SHS), Marion High School, and Navarro High School.

These programs help teach students trade skills such as floral design, cosmetology, welding, construction, business, audio/video production, engineering, and more.  

“The Career and Technical Education (CTE) department is made up of all the programs offered by Seguin ISD that provide students with the skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers,” says Richard Bough, Director of CTE at SHS.  “Students in each of these programs will graduate with the skills necessary to either enter directly into the workforce or continue their education at a trade school, college, or university.”

The City of Seguin brought in a myriad of other businesses including: Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, Caterpillar Inc, Hexcel, Junie and Jae, City of Seguin Information Technology, City of Seguin Parks and Recreation, Seguin Police Department, Seguin Fire Department, Rave Gears, CMC Steel Texas, Alamo Industrial, SAMSAT STEM, Texas A&M Engineering - Spark! PK-12 Engineering Education Outreach, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, City of Seguin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Texas Lutheran University, Lone Star Home Solutions, Goetz Funeral Home, Vitesco Technologies, Guadalupe County Juvenile Detention Center, United Alloy, HEB, Blue Horizon Media, Core Veterinary Compounding Pharmacy, City of Seguin Electric Department, First Commercial Bank, and Texas Army National Guard. 

Following this informative event was the Chart Your Course event hosted by Seguin Independent School District (SISD) at SHS.  Students from Barnes Middle School and A.J. Briesemeister Middle School were able to actually go into SHS and talk to students in the various CTE programs, clubs and organizations, meet with counselors, and then register for their freshman year classes.

The middle schoolers are welcomed into the school with the band and cheerleaders. Everyone visits four stations to learn more about the opportunities at hand. Some of the clubs they learned about were athletics, Early College High School, the fine arts program, the foreign language department, and the CTE program. 

Parents were later invited to come to SHS and meet with the teachers and students as well during evening hours.  Parents are encouraged to push their students to join the Seguin ISD CTE program because it is designed to assist all students as they prepare for their path after high school. 

Seguin ISD's goal for our students is for them to successfully earn their high school diploma, but that isn't enough. There needs to be an "AND" after that. For example, "I am going to earn my high school diploma AND have the skills necessary to enter into the Construction industry." or "I am going to earn my high school diploma AND go on to Texas State majoring in English." The list of "AND"s is long and we strive to meet the interests of our students through the programs we offer.

For more information on any of the clubs and organizations, CTE classes, and registration process parents can access the SISD website at seguin.k12.tx.us.