There was a signing day of a different kind Wednesday in Lexington Two.

Instead of high school athletes declaring their intent to play at the collegiate level, 10 Class of 2024 seniors at the Lexington Two Innovation Center committed to jobs with local companies after their graduation in May. 

They included students Luke Boozer, Octavio Martinez-Montes, and Gared Aguirre-Santos signing with Zeus Industrial Products; Naashon Fosu and Miguel Jimenez signing with Michelin Tires; Josh Walker and Rahsann Dow signing with No Grease Barbershop; Dylan Morey signing with On The Road Again; Daniel Samayoa signing with Fogle and Sons Electric; and Justin Linden signing with Central Controls Inc.

Some of the students are heading to special academy and training programs at their new companies, but all are ready to work on day 1 after graduation, thanks to certifications and training they received during the high school day at the Lexington Two Innovation Center. They are among a large number of the center’s graduating students who have already lined up job opportunities.

“For both our students and local business partners to have these opportunities is invaluable. It is a win-win,” said Joni Coleman, director of the Lexington Two Innovation Center.  “Our students get to start their careers right out of high school and apply their skills and competencies learned to work immediately.  We get to do our part to help our business partners fill vacancies in their companies.”

Wednesday’s signing event was held in the Innovation Center’s auditorium, attended by employers, fellow Innovation Center students, family members, faculty and staff, and others.

Zeus human resources manager April Donley-Chesser, one of the company’s team members who attended Wednesday’s ceremony, said programs like those at the Lexington Two Innovation Center are important for their hiring.

“The Lexington Two Innovation Center is helping Zeus meet our staffing needs by connecting us with students who are interested in skilled trades in manufacturing,”  Donley-Chesser said. “The Innovation Center has given us the opportunity to recruit, engage, and educate the next generation of machinists and maintenance technicians. We are grateful for the opportunity to educate students on who Zeus is as a company, why what we do matters, and also how the trade skills they are learning have an impact on companies like ours across South Carolina.”

Lexington Two’s graduation ceremonies are May 22 for Brookland-Cayce High School, and May 23 for Airport High School.

Below: Photo 1: L2IC students Miguel Jimenez and Naashon Fosu participate in a signing ceremony as Michelin Tires team members look on. Photo 2: Rahsann Dow and Josh Walker sign with No Grease Barbershop as L2IC instructor Chet Henderson looks on. Photo 3: Zeus’ Dan Ford shakes hands with student Luke Boozer, who will be joining the company after he graduates in May.