CHINA SPRING, Texas (KWTX) - Just months after walking across the graduation stage at China Spring High School, 18-year-old Maci Spell is already back in the classroom - but this time, she is helping run it.

Spell was hired by China Spring ISD as a paraprofessional in the district's pre-K classrooms, working alongside young learners as they tackle everything from their ABCs to counting to 10.

Her fast track into education was made possible through the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, which offers specialized courses designed to give high school students hands-on training and a head start in future careers.