The Pursuit Institute
Quarterly Review
Welcome!
Thank you!
What programs does The Pursuit Institute offer?
We are currently offering the following 1/2 day programs through various industry partners to all Hamilton County Juniors and Seniors. We are thankful for our amazing partners who are dedicated to providing excellent instruction and work place experiences to all Hamilton County schools!
- Ag Mechanical Engineering Reynold's
- Automotive Services Chariot Auto Group
- Automotive Services Tom Wood Nissan
- Auto Services Capstone Mid Indiana Marine
- Aviation Management LIFT Academy & Ivy Tech
- Civil Construction Capstone IKORCC
- Construction Trades Capstone IKORCC & PCI
- Cosmetology Freestyle Academy of Hair
- Cosmetology Prestige Beauty School
- Cosmetology with Esthetician Focus Prestige Beauty School
- Information Technology Ops & Cybersecurity Lionfish Cybersecurity
- Dental Careers KLR Medical Certification Training School
- Early Childhood Ball State University
- Education Professions Ball State University, Work One, Boys & Girls Club, Carmel Clay Parks
- Medical Assisting CCMA KLR Medical Certification Training School
- Pharmacy Tech KLR Medical Certification Training School
- Precision Agriculture Beck's Hybrids
- Surgical Technician Ophthalmic Technician Training Institute (OTTI)
- Veterinary Science KLR Medical Certification Training School
- Welding Technology Capstone Westfield Steel Inc & Noble Industries
Stay tuned for our TWO new programs for the 2025-26 School Year!!
Celebrating Student Success!
Cybersecurity Student Spotlight
Lionfish Cybersecurity would like to spotlight Ty Thomasson from Fishers High School. As a strong graduate of our Lionfish Cybersecurity (LFCS) CompTIA A+ course, Ty has pivoted to CompTIA Sec+ like a champ. Ty makes classroom engagement easy, as he is always willing to contribute to conversation and engage with others by sharing his learning approaches. We want to celebrate Cyber Guardian Ty's success as an engaged learner that continues to help others in class! After high school, Ty plans to attend a 4 year college and continue to study cybersecurity, with a focus on offensive security and tracking down threats. His goal is to join the FBI or a similar government agency, where he can use these skills to protect national security and take a proactive approach to combating cybercrime. We are confident that Ty will continue to be wildly successful in the cybersecurity world!
OTTI Student Spotlight
The Ophthalmic Technician Training Institute (OTTI) is delighted to spotlight Yati Patel, of Noblesville High School. Yati is OTTI's Senior Student Ambassador and Team Captain for this school years HOSA, Future Healthcare Professionals, competition. Yati is a second-year student at OTTI and a Senior at Noblesville High School. After graduation she will be entering college as a Pre-Med student with the intent of joining the field of Ophthalmology. Yati's end goal is to be a surgeon, although she does not know what specialty she would like to focus her practice around, she is leaning heavily into the ever-growing need in the world of eyes.
Yati has been working closely with Center for Sight's, Austin Lifferth OD FAAO, on a Glaucoma study around the effects on eye pressure response, and correlation with weight lifting versus low-impact exercise. She will be presenting her results at the Indiana 2024/2025 HOSA competition in April of 2025, and hopes to continue developing the study for publication. In addition, Yati hosts a Zoom call every Tuesday with the other OTTI students, on the call they discuss competition ideas and how they can maximize everyone's skill sets. Along with discussing HOSA, each week Yati will choose an Ophthalmic topic she is comfortable with presenting, she will host the lecture and then discuss with the students to answer questions and check for understanding.
Outside of Yati's HOSA accomplishments she has become one with the Center for Sight team. "Yati does such a wonderful job with her patients you would not even know she is just a 2nd year student" states assistant clinic manager Krystal Dominguez. "Yati blends in with the office staff so well it's as if she has been with us for years," states Clinical Trainer Kristy Nelson.
Yati attributes her experience in her first year at OTTI to helping her grow in a multitude of ways that even reach beyond the scope of healthcare. She states "One of the most important things I’ve learned over the course of the past year is communication skills. Being introduced to medical terminology in a professional environment at a young age helped my communication skills allowing me to sound more professional when engaging in conversations with patients, other medical staff, and doctors." Communication skills is a competency that is often overlooked with our youth and is not a subject that can simply be taught. Yati states "Students my age don't learn communication skills, this is something that I have obtained in my experience here" when speaking about her time with the Ophthalmic Technician Training Institute.
Yati has recently taken her communication skills to the next level when she was asked to participate on Lance Slatton's award-winning global podcast, All Home Care Matters. She will be discussing Ophthalmology and why she has chosen this field as a young professional with the winner of 2024 Top Influencer in Healthcare and Advocacy. Lance has dedicated his Healthcare career to Senior Advocacy empowering individuals and families facing long-term care challenges. Yati will bring a youthful perspective to a field immersed in age-related disease and hopes to inspire other young professionals to join the burgeoning medical field of Ophthalmology.
Yati has truly accomplished so much in so little time, we at the Ophthalmic Technician Training Institute, and the entire team at Center for Sight, can not wait to see what her future holds and are excited to follow her journey. It is without a doubt, that Yati will not only be successful at whatever she does, but she will be a difference maker, and the field she chooses will be lucky to have her.
What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?
CTE combines academic content with the relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and/or careers. CTE has traditionally been focused on many careers in the trades (welding, construction, etc.), but today’s program options are much more expansive. Programming is available in business, information technology, healthcare, STEM, and many other fields.
CTE programs all have a focus on providing instruction through real-world, applied settings and often include the opportunity to earn college credit and college credentials, and to participate in work-based learning.
Students who participate in CTE save time and money.
Education and training beyond a high school diploma is increasingly important for success in today’s economy. Taking part in CTE allows students to progress towards an initial certification or certificate, increasing their earning potential after high school and reducing the time and money needed to pursue further education and training beyond high school.
Student Engagement
Girls Night Out
Students in the esthetics program attended "Girls Night Out", a yearly event hosted by local plastic surgeon, Dr. Turkle. Students learned about new technology and procedures in the skin care industry from Dr. Turkle and her partners. Thank you to Prestige Beauty School for including our students in this event!
Visit to LIFT Academy
KLR Skills and CPR Event
Every year KLR Medical Certifications Training School hosts a Skills Day. This year, Hamilton County skills day is November 21. Students will be trained in CPR and first aid, take professional headshot photos, interact with a variety of vendors, and prepare for their clinical rotations. This year, the mayor of Noblesville will be there to greet students!
Where can you find us?
The Pursuit Institute will be attending the following events to advertise our programs and answer questions! Be sure to encourage your student to stop by!
- Noblesville High School Course Fair, November 6
- Hamilton Heights High School Elective Fair, December 5
- Sheridan High School Class Meetings, January 13
- Fishers High School Course Preview Night, January 15
- Hamilton Southeastern High School Course Preview Night, TBD
Kurt Cantlon
Executive Director
Rebecca Johnson
Program Coordinator
Let's get social!
We post frequently on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. We like to highlight CTE Programs from across the county, as well as celebrate students and educators in all of our partner schools. Follow us to get the updates!