Capital Area Technical Center names September professionals of month

Capital Area Technical Center’s September professionals of the month, from left, are London Putnam, Danikah Chartier and Shylah Woodford.

Capital Area Technical Center has announced its September professionals of the month, according to a news release from Stephanie Turgeon, Student Services coordinator.

London Putman Submitted photo

London Putnam of Readfield is a senior at Maranacook Community High School enrolled for the second year in the culinary arts program. She was on a CATC team that won the Maine ProStart Competition and traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete on the national level. Her team placed fifth in the nation.

Putnam also won a Maine gold medal in the SkillsUSA Restaurant Service competition. Her first place SkillsUSA gold medal gave her the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete at the SkillsUSA National Competition, where she placed 14th in the nation.

She described her National SkillsUSA experience as “insane” and loved the camaraderie she found from competitors she met from around the United States. She is excited to be on the CATC ProStart team again this year and will start practicing in late October for the February Maine ProStart competition.

Following graduation this June, Putnam plans to attend college and further her education in culinary arts.

Shylah Woodford Submitted photo

Shylah Woodford of Readfield is a senior at Maranacook Community High School enrolled in the certified nursing assistant program.

So far through the program, she has learned about professional hygiene, bed making, bed and bath care for clients, shaving clients and urinary needs.

When Woodford is not at the center, she is busy at Maranacook with sports and activities. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, and the varsity field hockey and softball teams.

After graduation, Woodford plans to pursue nursing education, with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Danikah Chartier Submitted photo

The center’s alumni spotlight shines on Danikah Chartier.

Her career began when she established her portrait and wedding photography business in 2014. Attending the Capital Area Technical Center’s Graphic Design program in 2017 allowed her to develop her photography and retouching skills by professional standards and with the mentorship of those in the industry. She went on to compete in the SkillsUSA national photography competition in the summer before leaving for college.

Chartier said, “Coming to CATC was the best thing I could have done to jumpstart my career and prepare myself for my future education. The graphic design program at CATC provides students with an extensive toolbelt for their creative expression and teaches them necessary lessons on professionalism, collaboration, and self-motivation.”

Chartier is a 2018 graduate of Gardiner Area High School. She is expected to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography and related media in May 2023. She is obtaining minors in art history, fashion history theory and culture, and film and media studies.

A few of her accomplishments since attending FIT include holding the position of photography director for Blush magazine, photographing for the luxury skincare company La Femme Noire, and most proudly working as a fashion history and photography digital archive intern for the Alexandre Vassiliev Foundation in Paris France this summer.

After graduation, Chartier plans to continue her conceptual photography for publication and exhibitions, freelance as a fashion and beauty photographer, and pursue her new passion for fashion history and costume design.