Students in the Job Training/Certificate Program for welding and steel fabrication celebrated with a first place sweepstakes award for the parade float they built from scratch for San Diego Continuing Education’s entry into the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade on Sunday.

The float included three scenes to support THE Dream in Action theme for Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous dream that has culminated in many milestone events, including the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

The first scene included a reduced model replica of the famous bus where Rosa Parks sat. “We wanted our version of the bus to be as accurate as possible, on a smaller scale,” said Billy Castrejon, a 26-year-old student in the welding class and one of the project leads. Castrejon researched images and information on the internet to confirm the correct specifications for the bus details, including an image from a police report that showed exactly where Rosa Parks was sitting at the time of her famous arrest.

More than 20 students and instructors built the bus largely from scrap metal, steel, and paint donations. “Actually applying skills to a project, versus welding inside a booth for practice, has given us a real-life experience to apply what we’ve learned in class,” said student Brendan Lagather, a 40-year old student completing the job training program. “This hands-on training is incredibly valuable and the fact that we created a bus for a parade that honors MLK also makes the work very meaningful.”

The second scene on the float indicated a classroom before the Brown v Board of Education ruling, where young African American students sat around a pot belly stove in a primitive class setting. The third and final scene included a presidential podium and student posing as Barack Obama, indicating the progress toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.

“Our students’ involvement and pride was the key to our success in receiving the Grand Sweepstakes First Place Award,” said Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, President of San Diego Continuing Education. “It is due to the brilliant and talented students, and our amazing faculty, who built the handmade float from scratch. They made wonderful history with the parade float.”

In addition to the welding students who provided their enthusiasm, knowledge, and labor, other faculty and staff from Continuing Education’s Parent Education program, Auto Body and Paint program, Diversity Committee and Associated Student Body contributed significantly to the creation of the float. Ms. Emma Wilson, Adult Education Instructor, rode on the model bus as Rosa Parks, and more than 250 students, faculty, staff, and administrators from Continuing Education marched with the float on Sunday along with nearly 100 other entries parading down Harbor Drive in honor of Dr. King. This year was the 32nd annual parade, which is coordinated by Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest Black fraternity in America.

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San Diego Continuing Education is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District. It was one of the first community college continuing education institutions in California to meet the standards for independent accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. More than 90,000 students are served per academic year at six main campuses in San Diego. Noncredit classes are available at no cost, including online options.

Classes are free because San Diego Continuing Education is part of the California system of higher education. Funding also comes through business and industry partnerships.

Due to current statewide fiscal constraints, many classes offered by San Diego Continuing Education are at capacity, and many have waiting lists. It is likely that students may not be able to enroll in the class of choice due to these fiscal constraints, and unprecedented student demand. Continuing Education apologizes in advance for any inconvenience students may experience when attempting to enroll.