When Jenna Nguyen, a senior at Martin High School STEM Academy, began her practicum at Marquez Bakery, she hoped to get some good real-world experience. What she didn’t expect was that her hard work and dedication would lead to a $1,000 scholarship.
Marquez Bakery recently hosted its second-annual Youth Empowerment Event, designed to help students explore future opportunities, whether that means college or forging their own unique path. During the event, Nguyen was awarded the scholarship, a testament to the impact she made during her time with the business.
Jenna’s experience working at Marquez is not unique in Arlington ISD’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) practicum program, which offers students meaningful, hands-on learning that connects classroom knowledge with real-world application.
“We are incredibly proud of our students and the way they represent themselves and our programs,” said Katie Wawak, Arlington ISD work based learning specialist. “With approximately 70 business partners and more than 215 student placements, our CTE Practicum provides meaningful, real-world experiences that open doors, making achievements like this scholarship especially rewarding to celebrate.”
At Marquez Bakery, Nguyen focused on marketing, creating flyers, promoting events and helping manage social media efforts. Her work didn’t just stay behind the scenes – it became part of the customer experience.
“If you have walked into the bakery, you have seen her work.” said Courtney Leppke, Business Management Practicum teacher at the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center. “There are posters and flyers created by Jenna on display for all customers to see. She is leaving a legacy and deserves to be recognized.”
Her impact also stood out to the Marquez Bakery team.
“Jenna’s selection had everything to do with the dedication and passion she showed in her submission,” said Karina Nunez of Marquez Bakery. “Her words truly reflected the mindset of a scholar who is committed to furthering her education and one day having a classroom of her own.
“We just wanted to take a moment to let you know how proud we are of her,” Nunez said. “We’re excited to watch all the incredible things she will accomplish in the future. Jenna is truly a great addition to the Marquez team, and we’re lucky to have her.”
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Through her practicum, Nguyen gained valuable insight into running a business while building skills she plans to carry into her future career.
“While interning at Marquez, I mainly worked on marketing for their social media platform,” Nguyen said. “I made flyers about upcoming deals and events at the bakery and helped them manage some reports. I also worked on preparations for their monthly night market. I believe that this internship allowed me to understand the inner workings of what it means to run a business, and it will allow me to have a firm understanding of how I want to run my future business.”
Nguyen plans to attend Texas Woman’s University after graduation, where she will major in early childhood education and pursue her goal of becoming a first-grade teacher.
“I want to become the kind of teacher who not only contributes to their academic success but also inspires them to believe in themselves and their abilities,” she said. “After I become a teacher, I want to continue running a small bakery on the side and use my experience from working at the bakery to help grow my business.”
A Program That Opens Doors
Jenna strongly encourages other students to consider enrolling in a practicum.
“I would absolutely recommend practicums to other students,” she said. “It’s a great way to get hands-on experience in the field you are interested in. These experiences offer valuable hands-on experience, allowing you to explore whether your career path aligns with your interests and goals.”
Her journey also highlights how taking a chance can lead to unexpected opportunities.
“If you never take the risk, you’ll never know what could’ve happened and you’ll always be wondering ‘what if,’” Nguyen said. “I honestly wasn’t even going to take a practicum class at first but I’m glad that I decided to do it because without the class I wouldn’t have all these opportunities available to me.”
There’s also another bonus to taking a practicum through Arlington ISD.
“Plus, if anyone decides to do the Business Management Practicum, you’ll have the sweetest teacher and her amazing joke of the day,” Nguyen said. “I want to thank Mrs. Leppke for my internship at Marquez because without her none of this would’ve been possible.”