Recent high school graduate Carlton Horton, who goes by "CJ," knew the traditional college experience wasn't for him.

"I know I'm really good at math, and I'm really good with my hands, and carpentry is fun to me," said Horton. "Building things and being able to see the progress and the finishing touch."

Horton graduated high school on Chicago's South Side in 2024.

"Once I graduated, I wanted to go into a trade school," he said.

Horton is now part of the first cohort of students in the Youth Build program at Dawson Technical Institute within Kennedy King College. He and seven others are in class five days a week, working with their hands in a lab and also in a classroom.

"I'm eager to get up in the morning to come here every day," said Horton.

Students in the Youth Build program get

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