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Interested in making a difference in a student's life? Join CAST Schools for an upcoming Speed Mentor Match Day! Meet students, learn about their interests and goals, and explore the possibility of building a meaningful mentoring relationship. It's a great way to discover how your experiences and insights could help a young person navigate their future. Upcoming Speed Mentor Match Days: CAST Med: Monday, October 26 | 12 p.m. Advanced Learning Academy: Tuesday, October 27 | 12

A recent San Antonio Express-News feature takes readers inside CAST Lead's expanding internship program, where 38 seniors are gaining firsthand professional experience at six downtown hotels, local businesses, and school district departments. The article highlights students exploring careers in hospitality, marketing, and other industries while developing the skills, confidence, and professional connections that will serve them well beyond graduation. Through interviews with

Want to open doors for students but aren't sure where to start? Join CAST Schools and local business leaders for the Career Connected Learning Summit: What Happens When Employers Co-Create with Schools, an interactive session exploring how businesses and schools can work together to create meaningful, real-world learning experiences for students. You'll discover how career-connected learning benefits employers and students alike, connect with other community partners, and ide

Have you started a new job, earned a degree, or begun exploring new opportunities? We want to hear what you've been up to! The CAST Schools Alumni Network is inviting graduates to complete a short survey sharing updates about their journeys since graduation. Your experiences and feedback will help us better understand where our alumni are today, design meaningful alumni programming, and identify resources and opportunities to support you as you continue to grow. Wherever life

At CAST Schools, we believe young people should have more than a voice in their education. They should have the opportunity to shape it. Student voice, agency, and leadership are at the heart of the CAST Schools mission, empowering students to take ownership of their learning, influence their communities, and develop the confidence to shape their futures. But meaningful opportunities for students to lead don't happen by accident. They require intentional investment. That's wh

For Hezron Perez, CAST Tech ‘21, the path to starting his career has been more than just gaining experience and building his technical skills. "The journey has looked like doing a lot of things outside my comfort zone,” Perez said, “forming deep friendships, and learning how to serve and love". From landing his first internship, to jumping into college classes as a high school student, the support of his “incredible teachers” at CAST Tech and his own resilience and patience h

What does it take to make a difference in a young person's life? At Advanced Learning Academy, it can start with a simple conversation. During the school's recent Speed Mentoring event, tenth-grade students sat down with community professionals to share their interests, ask questions, and explore the possibility of building a lasting mentorship relationship. The format is simple: each student meets three potential mentors, while each mentor meets nine students. Afterward, bot

When CAST Tech freshman Jimena Jimenez sat down with representatives from Broadway Bank, she expected to hear about careers involving money and finance. Instead, she discovered an industry with opportunities for people with a wide range of skills and interests. “I used to just assume that it was just money-wise,” Jimena explained. But after speaking with professionals, she realized that companies need people with many different talents, not just those traditionally associated

CAST Med High School is calling on healthcare professionals to help inspire and guide the next generation of healthcare leaders. The school is seeking mentors for its 36 tenth-grade students, connecting young people with professionals who can share firsthand experience, career insights, and guidance as students explore their futures in healthcare. Mentors will be paired with one or two students and meet for approximately one hour each month at CAST Med High School. Discussion

The CAST Alumni Network is partnering with Frost Bank for Money Moves 101: Banking & Borrowing, a practical financial education workshop designed to help CAST Schools alumni build confidence managing their money. Whether you're opening your first bank account, considering a car or student loan, or simply trying to better understand how borrowing and interest rates work, the workshop will cover banking basics and help alumni make informed financial decisions. Join us October 2

After weeks of preparation, interviews, and matching with industry partners, CAST Lead seniors made it official Tuesday during the school’s Internship Signing Day. Surrounded by families, educators, and industry representatives, students signed agreements marking the beginning of their year-long career-connected learning experiences. Thirty-two seniors will intern with six San Antonio hotels, while eight additional students will pursue internship placements aligned with their

CAST Schools Executive Director Jennifer Maestas and Senior Partnership Director Heriberto “Eddie” Rodriguez recently represented CAST Schools as part of the San Antonio delegation attending the North Capital Forum, hosted by the U.S.-Mexico Foundation. The forum brought together leaders from Mexico, the United States, and Canada for conversations about trade, investment, talent, technology, and the future of North America’s economic relationships. For CAST Schools, the gathe

CAST Schools is looking for professionals to help prepare the next generation for what comes after high school at the second annual Life Ready Summit, November 13 at the UTSA Downtown Campus. The signature CAST Schools event brings together 11th-grade students from across the CAST Schools Network for practical preparation in college readiness, career readiness, financial literacy, and wellness. As students begin preparing for opportunities available during their senior year a

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and CAST Schools alongside field partners have launched the Durable Skills Progression Standards project, a research and development initiative examining the integration of durable skills into high quality instruction. It is one of seven projects launching under Carnegie’s Research & Development Consortium for High School Transformation. The Durable Skills Progression Standards project will explore what is required for C

During her time as a student at CAST Tech, Alanis took advantage of the opportunities offered, from earning 75 dual credit hours, to participating in internships every summer throughout her high school years. Alanis cited that both the culture of career readiness and her supportive teachers at CAST Tech put her in an advantageous position going into college following her graduation in 2025. Today, Alanis is pursuing two degrees at the University of Texas San Antonio, Computer

For CAST Tech senior Sophia Camacho, entrepreneurship wasn't a pathway she had been pursuing. She had never built a business plan and wasn't necessarily imagining herself starting a company. Three days later, she saw things differently. “I have that experience now,” Camacho said, “and I feel confident that if I had a business idea in the future, I could definitely know the steps to take it further from just an idea.” That shift—from having an idea to understanding how to act

When Brian Velazquez chose CAST Lead, he was thinking about the person he wanted to become. “I cared about my future,” Velazquez said. He saw a school where smaller classes and real-world opportunities could help prepare him for whatever came after graduation. “That inspired me to take control of my future,” he said, “and also work myself to be ready and harness all the opportunities I could.” This week, one of those opportunities placed Velazquez across the table from profes

Know an educator who deserves to be celebrated? For 24 years, the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards have recognized Texas public school professionals, awarding nearly $15 million along the way. Nominations are now open for outstanding teachers, counselors, principals, school boards, districts, and early childhood centers. Think about the people making a difference for students across the CAST Schools Network—and take a few minutes to recognize their work with a nomination.

Lara Eklund, an educator at The Advanced Learning Academy (ALA @ Tech), has received a Fulbright Teacher Exchange award for the 2026-2027 cycle from the U.S. Department of State. Lara is among the approximately 2,500 U.S. citizens who will teach, study, and conduct research abroad for the 2026-2027 academic year through the Fulbright Program. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started a

For a student preparing for a first professional interview, knowing how to answer a question is only part of the challenge. There's also the pressure of making a good impression, finding the right words, and convincing a potential employer—and sometimes yourself—that you're ready for the opportunity. On September 15, CAST Lead seniors had the chance to work through those challenges in a supportive setting during the school's Senior Speed Interviews event. Professionals who vo