Congratulations, schoolwide award winner Jessica Dutan!

ALLENTOWN, Pa. | The Outstanding Career & Technical Education Senior Award is Lehigh Career & Technical Institute’s most prestigious accolade. Students selected to receive it are the best of the best at LCTI.

One of this year’s two Outstanding Career & Technical Education Senior Award winners is Jessica Dutan, a William Allen High School student in LCTI’s Marketing & Entrepreneurship program and Academic Center. Director of Career & Technical Education Darin Van Norman honored Jessica on Wednesday (May 29, 2024) at PPL Center during the school’s Class of 2024 Senior Recognition Night. 

Her marketing program teacher, Cyndee Barkley, said, “Jessica is an amazing mentor for new students. They respect her and enjoy working with her in class and the School Store.”

Jessica is a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the National Honor Society. She’s a dual-enrollment student with 18 college credits earned and a former Academic Center Student Council officer.

The 18-year-old served as co-captain of the team that helped LCTI’s School Store earn DECA’s gold certification three years in a row. She’s an avid and active DECA member, having attended every officer training event, mock competition, leadership conference and competition the organization has to offer since 2021.

Jessica is a standout competitor who has represented LCTI in DECA district, state and international contests for three consecutive years, as well as the current Lehigh DECA chapter president and past vice president. She won the Pennsylvania DECA scholarship and DECA’s national Emerging Leader Honor Award.

Along with being an excellent student, Jessica is an athlete. She is a varsity tennis player and team captain for Allen. She served as an Allentown School District student intern and volunteered at the city’s elementary schools.

This summer, Jessica is interning for state Rep. Pete Schweyer. Next fall she plans to major in business management at Moravian University, where she’ll be a first-generation college student. Her career goal is to become a management analyst.