AUGUSTA — Capital Area Technical Center has named its professionals of the month for October.

Jamison Bragdon resides in Augusta. He is a senior from Cony High School in Augusta enrolled for the second year in the business academy program.

He has enjoyed learning things in the academy that are outside the scope of his high school curriculum. Creating and managing a budget, communications with others, and establishing credit are all some of the life skills he has appreciated learning about, according to a news release from the center.

Last year, Bragdon created an entire business plan when the class studied entrepreneurship. He cites a bonus of being in the program as the opportunity to earn college credits. The program is set up so that students can earn 15 college credits a year. Bragdon hopes to leave the program with a total of 30 college credits.

His academy instructor, Angela Dostie, called him “an intelligent student, with strong values and respect for others,” according to the release.

After graduation, he plans to attend Central Maine Community College and study criminal justice.

Ezra Savage resides in Richmond. He is a senior from Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale enrolled for the second year in the computer technology program.

He has enjoyed the set up of the computer tech program. There are independent labs and projects. The projects have involved troubleshooting issues and having to find solutions to fix the problem. This work takes a lot of patience, as sometimes the solution can be something very minor.

As a second-year student, Savage has been studying networks. His favorite project has been working on a LAN network.

Outside of school, he works a customer service job. He knows that good customer service goes hand in hand with computer technology. Being able to use language that people understand to explain the problem a person may be having and explaining how to prevent it in the future is important to him.

His instructor, Mike Fraser, said “Ezra is showing me who he is capable of being. He is on time with classwork, willing to help others, a team player and willing to tackle complex problems.”

After graduation, Savage plans to work and attend Southern Maine Community College to study computer science or cyber security.

CATC’s Alumni Spotlight shines on Zachary Tobias, who graduated from Cony in 2008 and completed the Law Enforcement Academy program that same year.

He joined the U.S. Army and served as an active duty Airborne Ranger for four years. He served three deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now works for the Augusta Police Department, and has been a patrol officer for the past eight years. He is a member of the Crisis Intervention and Special Response teams, a firearms instructor and a field training officer.

He credits his time at Capital Area Technical Center with his law enforcement instructor, Peter Couture, as extremely valuable for setting him on his career path. “At CATC, I learned the tools needed to be a successful adult,” Tobias said. “Things like leadership, honesty, and keeping my nose clean.”

Augusta Police Chief Jared Mills said about the program, “Mr. Couture has taken the law enforcement program to an elite level in my opinion. It has become one of most successful recruiting locations for our future team members here at the Augusta Police Department. This program provides the students with the skills and knowledge to start working as a law enforcement practically upon completion. We are so fortunate to have this gem of a program here in our capital city.”

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