KidsTek works with students from elementary through high school, but even after our students graduate, we love to stay in touch and hear about the amazing things they accomplish and the good they do in the world. We recently caught up with one of KidsTek’s star alums: Lina Contreras from Florence Crittenton High School.
Lina was part of KidsTek’s inaugural Business Computing class at Florence Crittenton in 2018 and won KidsTek’s Nancy Sauer Memorial Scholarship in 2019 when she graduated. Lina has stayed in Denver and is currently working as an LPN in the cardiology department at Kaiser. She says that through KidsTek, she “met a lot of amazing people and influencers” and that she has been able to “take the lessons I’ve learned in KidsTek and apply them to my day-to-day life.”
In her job as a nurse, Lina says she uses a computer every day and that the skills and resources she gained from being a KidsTek student help her to this day. In addition to the computer and career skills she learned, one of her favorite parts of the Business Computing class was participating in the Better Business Bureau’s LIFT Business Ethics program.
Senior Instructor Emily Tow, who was Lina’s teacher at Florence Crittenton, says “Lina is an amazing young woman. She is an incredibly hard worker, whip smart, and an awesome mom. I can’t wait to hear what she accomplishes next!”
“I am extremely grateful for my time in KidsTek as well as my teachers. I’ve come a long way and I’m grateful to have met such great people,” Lina says.
In her free time, Lina keeps up with her self-care and finds stress relief through creative outlets like crafting and writing, as well as reading. She says, “I had my son at 17 and he is still my biggest motivator.” Lina is now expecting her second son. We wish her and her growing family the best of luck and look forward to more amazing things from her in the future!
