Sparks flew from Alexa De La O’s blow torch as she cut metal tubing for a steel partition in her welding class at Americas High School. De La O, a high school senior, looked forward to installing the finished product - a wrought iron fence - outside the home of an elderly resident in Downtown El Paso’s Chihuahuita neighborhood.
“We usually do projects for our school but doing a project for someone else and seeing like (how) they’re going to be really happy about it (is exciting)!” De La O said. “We’re basically (changing) their lives, like whether it’s little or big, I feel like I’m pretty excited to see her reaction once she has it.”
De La O and nine other welding students are volunteering in the Love Your Block program, or LYB, which brings city leaders and residents together to build stronger, more cohesive neighborhoods, one block at a time.
Led by the City of El Paso Community and Human Development Department in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University of Cities of Services, LYB awards mini-grants to residents and community members to reduce blight and spur neighborhood-driven change through volunteerism and small-scale revitalization projects.
El Paso was one of eight cities in the U.S. selected in 2022 to participate in the LYB program, which will focus on beautifying the Chihuahuita, Segundo Barrio, and Chamizal neighborhoods.
Students participating in the LYB program not only gain valuable work experience before transitioning into the workforce, but they also learn a valuable lesson about helping the community.
“I think this is such a good experience for them,” said Americas High School welding instructor Veronica Garcia. “It’s something to put on their resume.”
Projects include exterior home improvements, repainting homes, art installations, neighborhood cleanups, and more. City officials reached out to Garcia for help from her students with fence and gate restorations.
“We saw this as a wonderful opportunity to not only deliver on the needs of the residents, but to also incorporate some wonderful students to utilize their talents in giving back to the community,” said Christian Lopez, City of El Paso civic empowerment coordinator.
Welding is one of 16 career clusters available to students through the Socorro Independent School District’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.
Welding courses prepare students such as De La O for manufacturing careers through hands-on learning opportunities. They gain the knowledge and skills to enter the world of work as an entry-level welding apprentice or prepare themselves for a post-secondary degree in the metal technology field.
“Having this program in our school has been beneficial for us not only because we have all the certifications for us but also, we gain that knowledge,” said De La O, who plans to study metallurgical engineering in college.
The wrought iron fence students created will replace a broken-down wood fence that separates the resident’s property from her neighbor’s house.
As part of the LYB program, the city provided the material for the new fence. In the high school’s workshop, students measured and cut the metal for the fence, cleaned it with a grinder, painted it and framed it. The new fence is expected to be installed this spring. Students also plan to participate in fence restoration projects in the Chamizal and Segundo Barrio neighborhoods this year.
“Welding for me is really fun,” said James Townsend, a senior welding student who credits the program with giving him a jumpstart on his future career.
“I think it’s important that I get a head start now cause if you don’t do it in high school, you’re going to have to do four years out there,” Townsend said. “But in high school, I’ve had four years, so by the time I get out of high school, I’ll have that four years of experience that will translate into the job world.”
Published January 9, 2023
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