## Alex Riera

Alex Riera ’25 enrolled in Mercer County
Technical School’s (MCTS) horticulture
and turf care management program at the
suggestion of her mother, who thought that it
aligned well with her interests in nature and
the outdoors. Riera, who will be graduating
from the 2-year program in June, is now
glad she enrolled.


“Taking care of plants or growing them…
[it] does help you mentally. I’ve had an
experience when we were planting tomato
seeds, and we had these containers filling
in the soil. I just remember it felt really
satisfying,” said Riera.


The program prepares around
20 students annually for careers
in landscape and agriculture industries — helping with everything
from securing horticulture
internships to technical skills.


“[We use] equipment like mowers,
turf riders, string trimmers, weed
whackers…we [also] identify plants
and weeds…and how to get rid of them. And
we’re introduced to different ways to get rid
of them, like pesticides or using bugs, for
example, [which] benefits the plants and is a
better way of getting rid of them,” said Riera.


Riera’s favorite part, however, has been
entering horticulture competitions and
conventions around the state with a team
of two other students from MCTS.


“[For] the Monmouth State convention,
we had to do a [presentation] on soil pH, soil
levels, and the importance of NPK (nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium). The first time
I was introduced to it, I [thought] I would
never [be able to] do it and I wouldn’t be able
to memorize these scripts…[my instructor]
was willing to help me through that and gave
me a lot of time to practice. It’s something
I never imagined I could do,” said Riera.


Riera only attends MCTS on Friday
afternoons this year. In the morning Riera
has classes at PHS, and in the afternoons
(with the expectation of Friday) Riera is
employed as a florist at McCaffrey’s as a part
of MCTS’s internship program.


“It was a long process, but I got [the
internship]. They make sure that the
coordinator comes to check on me if
everything’s okay [or] if I have any concerns.
And I’m like, ‘No, I’m doing well. This is a
great experience, and I’m very grateful to be
in it,’” said Riera.


Riera is also involved in Future Farmers
of America, an organization that supports
education in agriculture. Riera developed
the agenda for the organization’s 2024-25
programs and sold over 100 holiday wreaths
with the organization.


This fall, Riera will enroll in
Rutgers’ horticulture program,
a dream that she says was made
possible with the support of MCTS.
In particular, she plans to explore
her passion for horticulture therapy.


 “I’ve had so many great experiences
[at MCTS], and I’ve learned so much
about horticulture,” said Riera. “In
my [college] essay, I wrote about my
experience at [MCTS]. It really made a huge
impact on me.”

## David Lux-Betata

David Lux Beteta ’26 is enrolled in three
automotive programs at MCTS: Diesel
Technology, Automotive Technology,
and Auto Collision Technology. Through
MCTS, he’s learned how to assess damage,
repair vehicles, secure internships, and use
tools and equipment found in real-world
auto shops.


Beteta has been fascinated
with cars since his childhood,
and recalls deciding to go into
the automotive industry after
watching the Fast and Furious
films as a child.


“You would think it gets
frustrating… but it’s something that I’ve
always wanted to do, and I enjoy it. The rush
of ideas in your head… just disappears, and
you just kind of lock into the project that
you’re doing — that’s what I found myself
getting into,” said Beteta.


Beteta, like many oteer MCTS students,
juggles both in-class instruction and a paid
internship at a local auto shop, which he
also receives school credit for.


“There’s a range from staying in the
classroom — doing paperwork, [filling]
orders — to in the shop, [where] we do
things like den repairs, spraying primers
using the paint booth, [and] sanding using
pneumatic technology, which is air-driven
technology,” said Beteta.


For the past few months, Beteta has been
working on his project for the SkillsUSA
championship, the final-stage of a year-long
competition designed to showcase talented
students from technical schools across the
country. The competition requires students
to design a project and complete various
technical skills in front of a panel of judges.


“I made a custom snap-on toolbox. [I]
did all these different custom designs,
custom paint — everything,” said Beteta,
“I worked from A to Z on the entire thing.
The only thing that [my instructor] helped
me on was the initial design, but the rest of
it was completely my work that took about
a month in total.”


Beteta credits MCTS for having both
experienced, thoughtful instructors and
an excellent environment. His program
has around 20 people, which contributes
to a tight-knit community.


“The people… have a lot of character
[and] a lot of morals. On the first day, there
was no awkwardness. It was like
we already knew each other. We
just went into it, started doing
stuff. There was that excitement
in the air,” said Beteta.


Beteta hopes that the
instruction, internships, and
hands-on learning from MCTS
will prepare him for a career in automotive
technology.


“I plan on going into the army, an then
I’ll go into post secondary schooling...
for technology, where I can learn both
the business aspect of it and [bring] the
automotive [knowledge],” said Beteta.
“Hopefully, I can take a shot later on in
life, have enough money, and completely
fulfill my dream.”

Mercer County Technical School Student Profiles

For most students at Princeton High School, it is not surprising to hear in casual conversation, “Hey, but it looks good on college apps….” The shadow of college constantly follows students at PHS and plays a large role in shaping their high school experience. At some level, every student is driven by the urge to get accepted into the most prestigious schools so that they may enter society with theoretically the best opportunities. We are reared with the notion that our college education will decide our success further on; however, we need to ask: “At what cost?”
When we tailor our identity specifically to this prestige and organize it around the very thing that is supposed to define us, we lose sight of the enjoyment of learning and of being teenagers; we enter a bizarre cycle that distorts the purpose of education. It becomes less an institution of improvement and learning than it does one of position and standings. Think about it this way: an Ivy League school does not offer a better education compared to many other liberal arts colleges, or other private universities. Why then, does the notion of acceptance into these institutions connote a sort of prestige? We’ve developed a sense of facsimile consumerism about these things—we desire the flashiest “product” no matter the quality of it. In a system that spoils us for choice, we often overlook the more modest yet better education for the purportedly “top tier” schools.
With a similar abundance of extracurricularsat PHS, students may feel pressured to sign up for as many as possible with no regard for their attraction to the activities they choose. The PHS club list itself is a daunting read, with inadequate space for clubs to truly reach potential members. In an environment meant to encourage students to explore their interests, the opposite happens. The tendency to pad one’s resume is only reinforced by the myriad of options provided by the extensive club list. 
Other PHS extracurriculars like Sports and Performing Arts are not exempt from this mindset. In what are meant to be genuine expressions of enjoyment reside the same looming advantageousness. Much commotion is made about getting onto particular teams, or into particular musical ensembles, or claiming particular performing roles. We don’t mean to proclaim that “art and expression are dead”; however, they are undeniably shadowed by a peripheral motive (Indeed, even when writing this piece, we were quick to consider how it would look on our own applications). This atmosphere creates, at its extreme, an overwhelmed shell of a student galvanized between myriad poles, with no foundational axis; or, realistically, a student ill-prepared and wrongheaded about their true passions—rather than seeking to partake in clubs or activities that we enjoy, we look to join those that society deems the most “impressive.” Sure, they look good on a resume, but they provide no real fulfillment. Is this the identity—acting not out of enjoyment but out of the illusion of “duty” to one’s future—that which we, as emerging adults, wish to create for ourselves?
	Moreover, it breeds in the individual genuine anxiety concerning their own future and the way they are perceived. Joining the right clubs, having the right talents, and building the right resume becomes a twisted competition - a necessity, really (or a presumed one). Whether we actively participate in it or not, there is an undeniable culture of competitiveness at PHS that is damaging to the flourishing mind. And, at the center of it, the student suffers most.
None of us want this. We should not allow ourselves to play into a culture of unhealthy competition. We should each purpose to encourage the pursuit of real interests, as opposed to the foppish fabrication of make-believe merits. There are those of us, and there are elements of this in each of us, that find real fulfillment in intellectual, artistic, and athletic expressions. That is the behavior that we should encourage. Rather than encouraging a race to the top, we’d do best to create a collaborative, educational atmosphere. We all see past these foolish pretenses, yet think ourselves immune to such a critical eye. Really, they just detract from why we’re here: to learn.

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