Career and technical education (CTE) programs provide directives to prepare secondary students with the necessary skills and knowledge for their careers and college education. However, CTE programs could have more academic proficiency and employable skills to effectively prepare African American secondary students. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of African American students actively engaged in CTE programs and examined how these experiences influenced their decision-making regarding their CTE studies. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory guided the research problem assessment and purpose in answering this study question. Qualitative phenomenology was used to collect data from 50 online survey respondents and 10 individuals interviewed from September 10 to December 10, 2023. The participants were limited to African American students who were 18 years and older, currently in secondary and post-secondary schools, and residing in the northeastern region of the United States. Thematic content data analysis using NVivo software unveiled five significant themes: academic experiences, social experiences, challenges, perceptions and dissatisfaction, and suggestions. The primary findings of this study are African American students' positive perception of secondary CTE programs and students' dissatisfaction with their CTE studies. The students' positive perceptions of CTE programs and the identified problems will fill a gap in current research literature and knowledge of secondary school CTE programs. CTE experts and educators can use this study's findings to intervene in identified problems to enhance African American students' engagement and enrollment across all CTE programs in the United States. To complement this qualitative study's limitations, a comprehensive qualitative study of secondary schools' all-inclusive CTE students, educators, and leadership and mixed methods longitudinal study of secondary CTE students' course engagement is recommended for future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]