Career preparation takes many forms: designing a network, delivering thoughtful service, working in a professional kitchen and developing technical skills.
At the Guthrie Center, five projects receiving 2026 J. Landon Short Mini Grants for Educators will support the experiences that help students prepare for their next steps.
Congratulations to the following grant recipients:
Grant recipient(s) | Project |
|---|---|
James Trower | Network Design & Cyber Defense Simulation Kit |
Nakhestcia Franklin | Elevating Service: Fine Dining Training Equipment for Hospitality Excellence |
Nakhestcia Franklin, with Benjamin Baze, Sarah Mikhail and Alexander Bove | New Space, New Look: Professional Uniforms for Culinary Excellence |
Sarah Mikhail | Behind the Line: Creative Culinary Storage & Organization Initiative |
Yolanda Matthews Porter | We Nailed It |
Trower’s Network Design & Cyber Defense Simulation Kit connects classroom learning with opportunities to practice designing networks and exploring how to protect them. Simulation gives students a setting to apply their knowledge, work through challenges and strengthen their problem-solving skills.
Through Elevating Service: Fine Dining Training Equipment for Hospitality Excellence, Franklin’s project supports the service skills that shape a guest’s dining experience. The focus on hospitality helps students connect attention to detail with professional expectations.
Franklin also joins Baze, Mikhail and Bove for New Space, New Look: Professional Uniforms for Culinary Excellence. The project emphasizes professional presentation as part of preparing students for culinary workplaces.
Mikhail’s Behind the Line: Creative Culinary Storage & Organization Initiative focuses on another essential part of kitchen work: organization. The project highlights the preparation and care behind an effective culinary workspace.
In cosmetology, Matthews Porter’s We Nailed It supports opportunities for students to develop their craft. The project connects creativity and attention to detail with the professional skills students can carry into careers in the beauty industry.
Together, these projects support a shared goal: helping students build skills, confidence and professional habits they can carry into further education and careers.
Made possible through generous community support, the J. Landon Short Mini Grants for Educators help turn creative ideas into meaningful classroom experiences. It’s #CollectiveGreatness in action.
You can help make great things happen for kids, too. Visit SBISD’s Engage page to learn how to support students, classrooms and schools.