Pinecrest Academy students excel in dual enrollment program in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The students at Pinecrest Academy in Las Vegas are making the most of their senior year, graduating with both high school diplomas and associate degrees.
Gage Garvin and Roxi Perez, both enrolled in the school's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, have found it instrumental in shaping their career paths while also earning valuable job certifications.'It actually gave me college credits at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) for aviation ground school,' Garvin said. 'It got me introduced to piloting and got a couple of flight hours as a student pilot, so that helped expand my skill set.'
Garvin aspires to become a marine biologist and help conserve the sea otter. His dream job is to work at the Monterrey aquarium. Outside of school, Garvin stays equally active. He volunteers with the Nevada SPCA and recently organized a student-led cleanup at Wetlands Park.'We ended up picking up over 650 pounds of trash over 9.3 acres,' Garvin said. 'A bit of multidisciplinary effort at the Wetlands, and I love nature, and I love the environment, and I love to give back to the people and the place that gave me life and helped raise me.'
Roxi Perez, through the CTE program, earned her workplace readiness certificate in graphic design and now plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in biochemistry.
Despite facing personal challenges, Perez said she is grateful for the opportunity to continue her education.
'As a little girl, my brothers and I had our mother taken away from us from a very young age,' Perez said. 'Thankfully, though, my savior came in, my grandfather, whom I now call my dad. He's always had that drive and put that drive into me and instilled into me that I need to take the opportunities that I have.'
Since the age of 16, Perez has been juggling work to support her family while completing both high school and college. She credits her success to the unwavering support of her teachers and her dad, saying she could not have done it without them.
'I didn't have a mother growing up, and a lot of my teachers became my maternal figures. A lot of them I cried to, a lot of them gave me advice and made me feel secure, and made this feel like home,' Perez said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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