HOLT CAT posted on January 30, 2026 19:32
Originally posted on Marshall News Messenger, by Lia Portillo
Thomas Hays, Brayden Figueroa-Cruz and Wyatt Newman are the first Holt CAT interns from Marshall High School.
An internship program that began this semester at Marshall High School is providing real-world experience to Career and Technical Education students.
Students in the CTE health science program are required to earn internship hours. Through an agreement with Genesis PrimeCare, they will be able to work toward becoming Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMA) and try to obtain a certification in May.
Diana Lopez and Anika Kerr are among the 28 CCMA candidates from Marshall High School with a Genesis PrimeCare internship.
Students have the option to rotate between each of Genesis PrimeCare’s three offices in Marshall, which include pediatric, family and women’s health clinics. Students also can intern at the Atlanta and Texarkana locations.
Lopez and Kerr said being able to get hands-on experience as a high school student is invaluable.
“I’ve always thought about what having a career in healthcare would be like after college, and I didn’t think that I would have the opportunity to be able to learn all of this content and get the experience while I was still in high school,” Lopez said. “So I feel really, really lucky and blessed to be able to have this now.”
Kerr added that she feels supported by her teachers, and they are the reason she is prepared for this internship.
“(Health science teachers) try to make sure you know everything you’re going to need to know and try to prepare you for as much as you can,” she said. “They try to make sure you’re adequately prepared. So, I just feel really blessed.”
Holt CAT also offers Marshall High School students a transportation and diesel mechanic internship. The internship was made possible through collaborative efforts between high school staff and Holt CAT management.
After initially talking about the idea of an internship a year ago, the first group of interns began working 29 hours a week in January.
As interns, students assist in all areas of the rebuild process of CAT machines and industrial engines.
Thomas Hays, Brayden Figueroa-Cruz and Wyatt Newman are the first Marshall students to take part in the Holt CAT internship.
Diana Lopez, Anika Kerr, Brayden Figueroa-Cruz, Wyatt Newman and Thomas Hays are a few of many Marshall High School students learning industry skills through partnerships with businesses.
Figueroa-Cruz said he is excited to be able to work in a professional setting and about the opportunities that come with the experience. He has grown up working with cars, so interning at a company such as Holt CAT is a step in his career journey.
“Working at a place such as Holt CAT brings a lot more opportunities,” he said.
CTE Director Charlotte Leon said the three students stood out to the Holt CAT representative for the way they conducted themselves in an initial meeting.
“It’s a very unique experience. I’m glad I get to have it,” Figueroa-Cruz said. “I hope that I can use (the experience) to my advantage and make good of the opportunity I’ve been given.”
Newman, who said he wants to be a welder in the future, hopes his time at Holt CAT will further his skills.
“I feel very blessed that I’ve been given the chance to do something like this,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I was able to get it because I paid attention in an interview.”
Hays said he is excited to learn more about the heavy machinery at Holt CAT and the maintenance of those machines. Like Figueroa-Cruz and Newman, he’s ready to learn from professionals.
“(The internship is) one of those things that you think about later on if you’re ever going to get an experience like this again,” he said. “So, take that first step and then you try your best.”
The internship could be extended through the summer depending on the students’ progress. Summer interns are allowed to work 40 hours a week.