Victoria Turner, a 2023 graduate of Liberty High School, is preparing to move into a 1,200-square-foot modular home with her twin sister. The house will allow the sisters plenty of space to spread out, though Victoria has staked a claim on the master bedroom.

“It’s only fair,” said Turner, 18. “I mean, I helped build the house.”

The home build was the culminating project of Liberty High School’s building and construction class, which is part of Academy School District 20’s growing Career and Technical Education program.

In partnership with Careers in Construction Colorado — a Springs-based nonprofit that brings construction industry vocational education into classrooms — D-20’s Home Build Program allows students to construct a house on district property while earning industry certifications and acquiring a host of skills including carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC work.

The program was practically tailor-made for Turner, who has wanted to work in construction since she was little.

“When I was 5 or 6, I wanted to be a firefighter,” she said. “But at the same time, my brother was going into middle school and was starting to think about what he wanted to do. He wanted to get into construction, and I wanted to be like him.”

By the time Turner started at Liberty, her brother had become a music major. But the idea of a career in construction still intrigued her.

“I heard about the CTE construction class, and I decided to sign up,” she said. “You have to apply and be accepted. I had to take a quiz, and I passed. That’s when I thought, ‘OK, I can do this.’”

For the construction, nearly all the hands-on work is performed by students, under the supervision of skilled tradespeople, including Jaime Hernandez, Liberty’s building and construction teacher. CICC’s industry experts provide materials, curriculum and guidance throughout the project, but the students provide the lion’s share of the labor.

“We have the kids do as much of the work as possible,” Hernandez said. “It’s the best way to get them workforce-ready.”

A home typically takes about two years to build. Liberty’s latest project took closer to three years because of instructor turnover and COVID delays, and Turner graduated before it was completed, she said.

Turner and her mother discussed the idea of buying the completed home and asked Hernandez if it was a possibility. By December, her family owned the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house she helped build.

“I like to joke with my mom that it’s the biggest take-home project ever,” Turner said.

Students who complete the building and construction course can earn a number of professional certifications, allowing many of them to begin careers in the building trades, right out of high school. Other students use their newly acquired skills as a springboard into related disciplines, including architecture, engineering and landscaping. The possibilities are nearly endless, according to CICC school liaison Keira Conley.

“It actually takes 85 separate trades to build a home from the ground up,” Conley said. “And that’s just for a residential home. For an office building, or an apartment building, it takes even more.”

In Turner’s case, she was able to use her skills and certifications to land a job at a roofing company in Colorado Springs. Now, she’s working in the trade she’s dreamed about since kindergarten.

“I’m a roofer,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun; I love being up on a roof. And I was able to get a job and start making money right away, which is nice.”

It will be a few months before Turner is able to move into her new place. Electricity and plumbing hookups need to be installed, as well as a breezeway that will connect her house to her parents’ home, which is next door.

But she’s already making furnishing and decoration plans, including turning a third bedroom into a home gym. And she can’t wait to move into her new master bedroom.

“It is a pretty nice room,” Turner said, and smiled.