The project Sharing and Celebrating Exemplary and Promising Programs annually identifies outstanding career and technical education (CTE) programs in secondary and postsecondary settings. The programs were evaluated by using criteria based on programs' quality, educational significance, effectiveness, and replicability. Programs and teachers also measured success through individual students' achievement. The following were among the key themes that emerged in the CTE success stories identified during the project's first year: (1) participating in CTE increases students' confidence and achievement; (2) most students learned about their CTE programs through recruiting activities from their career centers; (3) factors shaping students' decisions to enroll in CTE included the possibility of getting an early start on a college education, a match between interests and programs, visits to CTE programs, and visits from CTE instructors and counselors; (4) all the successful CTE students identified had one or more parents who supported their child's decision to enroll in CTE; (5) the successful CTE students felt pride in their achievements, and many rated their participation in student organizations as their best experiences in CTE; and (6) most of the successful CTE students credited CTE with influencing their career and educational goals, and a majority of the students were either planning on or already pursuing postsecondary education. (MN)