PALMDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 21, 2026--
When Ozzie Aguilar, manager of graphic design and printing company Titanium Prints, was looking for a new graphic designer, he interviewed 25 candidates. He overwhelmingly chose Johnny G., a recent graduate who had gone through a graphic design program at Learn4Life, a network of 80+ public charter high schools.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721422625/en/
“I was surprised that someone right out of high school would be so prepared for a job as a graphic designer,” said Aguilar. “Johnny arrived with a resume, portfolio and a ton of ambition – which is what set him apart from the others. Learn4Life had prepared him well and he has a great career ahead of him.”
Johnny loves his job and is learning more and more every day. He has designed and produced multiple high-profile designs for restaurants and retail outlets, plus car wraps, brochures and posters.
But things were not so rosy a few years ago – when he was struggling in high school and falling behind.
“I got in with the wrong crowd and was ditching class,” said Johnny. “I came to Learn4Life as a junior and liked that it was so different from my other school. I was able to be more independent and I didn’t have to sit and listen to one teacher talking.”
The three-part graphic design and multimedia CTE pathway at Learn4Life starts with the basics of industry-standard software such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. He and fellow students were exposed to potential career opportunities in design disciplines, such as branding, advertising, editorial design, merchandise and packaging, signage and photo editing.
They then moved on to 2D animation, motion graphics and video production. Students learn how to build a portfolio, write a resume, handle a job interview and create a website.
“I always loved drawing, and these classes helped me take it to the next level and turn it into a career,” Johnny said. “I also took a children’s literature class, which combines a core English credit with art. I wrote and illustrated a book about a sheep that gets lost while following a butterfly.”
Johnny’s book is titled, The Lost Sheep and is available on Amazon.
For more information about Learn4Life’s career technical education opportunities, visit www.learn4life.org/about/programs/career-technical-education-cte/.
About Learn4Life
Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.
Former Learn4Life student Johnny G., center, pictured with his boss and co-worker, unveils a storefront installation he designed. Thanks to his high school graphic arts classes, he was hired upon graduation and is flourishing in his chosen career.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History pushed back Tuesday against a recent White House report that branded the institution's leadership as radical activists who cannot be trusted.
The testimony from Anthea M. Hartig came as President Donald Trump has engaged in a broad national effort to reshape the stories of America told by cultural institutions controlled or influenced by the federal government and, in particular, to purge diversity, equity and inclusion elements from those narratives. Many historians are alarmed by the revisionism.
“As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” Hartig told a House Oversight subcommittee. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming.”
Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of American independence, the White House Domestic Policy Council released a report on July Fourth arguing that the museum, a centerpiece of the sprawling Smithsonian complex on the National Mall, doesn't tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”
Republicans on the panel reiterated some of those concerns on Tuesday.
“In the museum’s current telling, history is just an ongoing power struggle between oppressors and the oppressed,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “The report makes clear that the museum’s woke exhibits and materials reflect a broader vision held by the museum leadership.”
Hartig, the first woman to serve as director of the National Museum of American History, said the institution “does not take sides in America's political debates.” She described the museum's presentation of the nation's story as an evolution intended to add voices, not erase history as detractors sometimes argue.
“When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we don’t mean erasing it,” she said. “We mean adding the evidence, the voices, the objects, that earlier tellings left out, so that more Americans can see themselves reflected in the national story.”
The White House report argued that the museum “has refused to celebrate the Nation and its history.”
“It has not created any exhibit dedicated to presenting a general narrative of American history or telling the story of any of our Founding Fathers, the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolutionary War, or the achievement of independence and the establishment of the constitutional rule of law,” the report said.
But the museum opened an exhibit in May dubbed “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness” that displays 250 objects throughout the building to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. The artifacts include the desk used by Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary War-era gunboat and the Star Spangled Banner.
Some Republicans on the panel on Tuesday acknowledged that the museum displays important material related to the anniversary but argued it was challenging to navigate. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said he expected references to the Declaration of Independence to be more prominent during a recent visit.
“I'm not saying it's not there, but it's hard to find,” he said.
Hartig faced particular scrutiny from Republicans over an exhibit entitled “Girlhood (It's Complicated),” which included a diary from a 13-year old exploring issues including gender identity. The museum director said the exhibit, which ran from 2020 through 2023, included a label making clear it was not designed for children.
Hartig's future as the museum's director hung over the hearing. Trump last year said he was firing the longtime leader of the National Portrait Gallery, another Smithsonian museum that, like the National Museum of American History, operates independently of the executive branch. The National Portrait Gallery's director, Kim Sajet, nonetheless stepped down from the museum in the face of the White House pressure.
At one point, Burchett asked Hartig why she should continue in her job. She responded simply that overseeing the museum is “the honor of my career.”
Matthew Spalding, Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government at Hillsdale College, testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing about the Smithsonian, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing about the Smithsonian, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency Chair Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., attends a subcommittee hearing about the Smithsonian, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, attends a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing about the Smithsonian, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institute, testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing about the Smithsonian, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
