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Category: Student Success Story

Air Conditioning/Refrigeration Students are Pursuing Cool Careers at DCCCD

Valerie Handley, a second-year student at Cedar Valley, wants to repair and service air conditioners on the rental properties she owns.

“After you write enough checks for someone else to work on them, you start to think ‘maybe I can do this myself,'” said Handley, who works as a 911 operator.

Finding Home: Andrea’s Journey from Mexico to Mesquite

When Andrea Carrizales first heard that her family was moving to the United States, she was thrilled. A freshman in high school, Andrea began English classes to prepare for the big trip. Her father, an engineer, went ahead of the family to begin his new job as an elementary school teacher in Mesquite, Texas.

Finally, in fall 2010, the Carrizales family was reunited. But their new home in the U.S. wasn’t what Andrea expected.