Independence Academy continues sprouting career skills with The Career Academy

June 4, 2025

The Independence Academy cultivated a new learning experience for its students with The Career Academy this spring.

Nine Independence Academy scholars explored TCA’s Agriculture and Bioscience career pathway.  

“I think it's interesting, and I want to learn about animals and plants,” Independence Academy student Mallory said.

TCA Agriculture and Bioscience Pathway instructor Nicole Sorensen planted seeds of knowledge in this year’s Independence Academy cohort. Sorensen’s lessons ranged from gardening in the greenhouse to simple veterinary procedures like mock trimmings of cats’ and dogs’ toenails. This was also her first time teaching for The Career Academy. 

“This was probably one of the funnest classes I've taught,” Sorensen said. “The students are always excited, ready to learn. They will pretty much do anything put in front of them, which is great to see. They ask really good questions to learn more and get better at the skills that we're doing.”

The students also got a live tutorial in basic horse grooming when two horses visited the campus. They took turns walking the animals, brushing their fur and cleaning their hooves. They even got to feed the horses a few carrots as a treat for their hard work. 

“It was really fun because I can do jobs here that I actually like,” Independence Academy student Kira said.

“I learned a lot and I also made new friends,” Mallory said.

The Independence Academy is a program for students ages 18-21 with disabilities at Lincoln Public Schools. It helps provide the young adults a path to independence through life, social and career training.  

This is the second time the program has collaborated with TCA to allow new education opportunities for its students. Last year, Independence Academy learned more about TCA’s precision machining career pathway. After seeing success from that inaugural year, educators decided to look into other educational possibilities. 

“We saw how well that worked with students, and how it just kind of opened their eyes to other opportunities that they hadn't thought about before for other jobs,” Independence Academy teacher Emily Nathan said. “We wanted to continue opening up those doors and opportunities.” 

The Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools’ Stuart Elliott Student Assistance Fund helped open the door for these classes. The fund increases access to various educational experiences by removing potential economic barriers for students.

Educators aimed for the class to not only give hands-on experience and applicable work skills, but also show the community and the scholars themselves that their future options are limitless.

“I have loved the support from the TCA community, being able to show what our students can do, and being able to just open all these doors for everyone,” Nathan said.

“I like The Independence Academy. I think it's fun and a very good learning experience,”  Mallory said.

 

Learn more about The Independence Academy and its offerings for young adults on our website at https://home.lps.org/specialed/the-independence-academy/.

 
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