Art Padilla has been involved at the Career Education Center Early College (CEC) since 1985, when he was a student there himself.
“I’ll never forget walking into the auto shop where I took Auto Collision, Body Repair and Paint. And I walked past three cars that belonged to the instructors at that time, and they were absolutely three of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen in my life… and I was like, ‘I belong here. This was made for me,’” Art said with a smile.
Despite his excitement for his CEC classes, Art was “acting like Bender from the Breakfast Club,” he said.
“My hair was to the middle of my back. I was wearing a jean jacket over my leather jacket that had chains hanging off of it. And earrings. I had three earrings in my left ear. My sunglasses on,” he said.
Art caught the attention of the teacher who would later become his mentor, Rich Barton. Art said it felt like Rich was talking directly to him when he announced on the first day that students needed to take class seriously because they were there to do real work on real people’s cars.
As the class went on, Art and Rich earned one another’s respect and trust. After graduating, Rich helped Art get his first job and helped him build a network of customers.
Art credits his success to the high expectations that Rich had for him – and now, Art has high expectations for his own students. Art is intentional about making welding an inclusive space for everyone, and he wants his students to know that they are capable of anything as long as they don’t give up.
“More than anything, I want them to understand that they can persevere. There’s this perception that adults got it all figured out. We know that’s not true. To get through hard stuff, you gotta keep going,” Art said.
Art is also instilling confidence in his students by showing them that, although it may look different than traditional academic paths, trades work requires expertise and intelligence.
“Some of the smartest people I’ve ever met are tradesmen. I value their expertise just as much as any educator I’ve ever had. It just looks different,” he said.
Art emphasized that he wouldn’t even be a teacher without Rich’s guidance. When Rich was diagnosed with brain cancer, he talked to Art about taking over his Auto Collision & Paint program at CEC.
“I never considered being a teacher. Rich gave me the confidence and said, ‘I can see that this is something you can do, and I have faith in you,’” Art said.
Art felt he owed it to Rich to give teaching a try and continue Rich’s legacy. Now, Art does so with passion.
Art shared that one of the most special things about the CEC career programs is that all the instructors are true professionals in their fields outside of teaching.
“We all eat, sleep and breathe what we do outside of this place. We do our thing outside of work as well, and we’re well-known in the community for those things. So being able to come back here and give back; it’s meaningful,” he said.
The result: a campus fueled by passion.
“When you walk onto this campus, you can feel the enthusiasm coming out of the pores of the people here,” Art said.
Funding for Career and Technical Education is part of the 2026 Mill Levy Override ballot initiative. Learn more about the 2026 Mill Levy Override.