WHS Students Earn Industry-Recognized Certifications

Posted on: July 2, 2025

By Laura Masbruch
Math and Computer Science Teacher
Team Administrator FRC Team #6574
Whitewater High School

During the 2024-2025 school year, Whitewater High School is proud to announce that 61 students earned a total of 64 industry certifications in various areas of career and technical education. This group included 3 freshmen, 12 sophomores, 21 juniors, and 25 members of the Class of 2025. Congratulations to Aylin Acevedo Cuevas, Payton Brautigam, and Alexa Wildenberg for each earning 2 certifications. The number of students earning certifications through Whitewater High School coursework is up from 4 in 2021-2022, 36 in 2022-2023, and 40 in 2023-2024.

Some of the students earning their ASE certifications for brakes or electrical took time to pose with their new WHS automotive shirts along with instructor Justin Buntrock.

Certifications Earned in 2024-2025:

ASE – Automotive Service Excellence – 14 students
- Westley Carlson, Liam Evans, Ethan Gillihan, Logan Kienbaum, Jimmy Kinson, Anakin Knudsen, Zoe Olson, Isaac Straight, Josmar Zuniga Ortiz, Edrick Camacho Rivera, Kevin Gonzalez, Lawson Reynolds, Edward Rohloff, Casey Schlicher
ITS – Information Technology Specialist: HTML/CSS – 1 student, Java – 5 students, Python – 1 student
- Lucinda DiFiore, Ace Hudec, Matthew Carollo, Colby Long, Silas Long, Joshua Nygren, Emilie Bruns
CNA – Certified Nurse Aide – 14 students
- Payton Brautigam, Adalynn Frye, Ariadna Gonzalez Cervantes, Charlotte Hajewski, Delaney Hammack, Alexandria Kaczoroski, Gabrielle Kirley, Savannah O’Neal, Odette Romero Bustos, Aimee Servin, Rebecca Sortino, Athena Soto Olmos, Stephanie Walters, Alexa Wildenberg
ACCT – Assistant Childcare Teacher – 16 students
- Aylin Acevedo Cuevas, Hailee Ambrose, Kiani Aranda, Payton Brautigam, Lucy Davis, Jackie Franco, Ella Gennetta, Jennifer Gosh, Emily Henderson, Kaia Jones, Zoe Kohl, Mia Mendez Espineira, Amun Norris, Gisselle Perez, Ontaya Shepard, Brianna Valdez
Childcare Group Essentials – 3 students
- Aylin Acevedo Cuevas, Nina Heim, Alexandra Valadez
MOS – Microsoft Office Specialist – 10 students earned at least 2 of these certifications
- Isabel Aranda, Tyler Babcock, Liliana Cichon, Brooklyn Griswold, Maddison LaHaie, Ruth Lopez Lopez, Emily Schmidt, Lucille Troxel, Alexa Wildenberg, Andrew Zimmermann

CNA student cohorts did their coursework in the new CNA Lab at WHS which was sponsored by Fairhaven Senior Services. Students could then earn their technical diploma from Gateway Technical College.

The Career and Technical Education Incentive Grant program incentivizes Wisconsin school districts to offer high-quality career and technical education programs to meet workforce needs in key industries facing shortages of qualified entry level workers. District incentive grants provide up to $1,000 per recent graduate earning a certification from the approved certifications list. Student completion awards of $500 per eligible certification are available for students earning specific certifications. Students receive their financial awards from the state within a year after graduation.

Students in a variety of computer science courses piloted Information Technology Specialist exams this spring. All students finding success in Python Programming, AP Computer Science, and Web Programming will be able to test during the next school year. In addition, each of these courses is transcripted for credit with Gateway Technical College.

With great pride, the Whitewater Unified School District celebrates the incredible opportunities our students have and the outstanding achievements they continue to reach. Through innovative programs focused on career awareness, exploration, and preparation, we’re empowering the leaders of tomorrow. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated WUSD staff, community members, and business partners for your unwavering support in shaping the future workforce.

For questions about Career and Technical Education [CTE] programs at Whitewater High School, reach out to new CTE Coordinator Michael Rick at ricmi01@wwusd.org.