EAST PROVIDENCE — Well, it certainly isn't too shabby for a "Plan B"...That's how East Providence High School Career and Tech Center Automotive instructor Joe Barroso recalled how his second career began after he was recently chosen as the state's top Career and Tech tutor.

Barroso received his award as the Rhode Island Department of Education's Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year during it annual Waterfire event in Providence held this year on the last Saturday of September.

"I didn't see it coming," Barroso, currently in his 14th year as an Auto teacher at EPHS, said of the state accolade. "Waterfire was a great, great event. You don't get to that too often. It was great to be nominated, great to be named Rhode Island CTE Teacher of the Year."

Barroso's selection on the Career and Tech side made it a clean sweep of RIDE's top instructor honors for East Providence.

 Last last school term in June, it was announced Whiteknact Elementary School instructor Aimee Couto had been chosen as the 2023-24 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year.

"It was great to be honored with Aimee. So you had the Rhode Island Teacher of the Year from East Providence and the Rhode Island CTE Teacher of the Year from East Providence, which is always nice. I think it's a nice thing for the city and for the students and for the school district," Barroso said.

Barroso and Couto have both also received citations from the East Providence School Committee and City Council recognizing their awards.

A city native and EPHS/CTC grad in the Class of 1988, Barroso was educated in the school's Automotive program all three years he attended — remember, EPHS was a three-year school until the late 1990s — and spent his senior year working a co-op at the Rhode Island Truck Service Center now the site of the Paul Masse dealership on Taunton Avenue.

After he high school, he remained in the private sector for just about the next two decades at first working on working on tractor trailers. He then moved into passenger vehicles, where he said he always thought he would remain.

Throughout the early part of his career, however, former EPCTC Auto instructor Chris Perry often suggested Barroso consider following in the former's footsteps.

"He would always say to me you should try this teaching thing out, but the last thing I wanted to do was be back in school, right?," Barroso said of Perry, who, along with another EPCTC Auto teacher, Charles Brown, called "both incredible mentors to me."

Barroso finally did heed the advice. He continued to work full time, but began to take classes towards his teaching degree.

It was around that time he learned of an opening in the EPCTC, where former principal/director Karen Mellen also encouraged him to make the move into teaching.

"Karen told me to come on in. She told me about the steps I needed to taken, and I went from there," Barroso said.

From there meant finishing off the 12 credits left his needed to earn his bachelor's degree and teaching certificate, which included amply time with RIDE advisors as well.

Turn the calendar forward nearly a decade-and-a-half, and Barroso, along with his fellow EPCTC Auto instructor Dave Mello another EPHS alum, is now overseeing an Auto enrollment numbering 102 students from the 40 when he started.

Barroso chalks up some of the increased interest in the program to the top-shelp facilities include in the new EPHS when it opening back in the fall of 2021.

"The new facility has been incredible. The old building has always been my home, my school. It's place I graduated from, Dave, too. But we both embrace this place. It's beautiful. We have all new equipment," Barroso said.

He continued, "The kids really love it here. We have a lot more room, a lot more equipment to work with. The equipment is state of the art, so we get to train them on state of the art equipment and get them out to work. There's no worrying if they're able to work on what's out there. They're well versed, ready to work. We're really preparing these kids so they're work ready, college ready.

"In the end, we're all car guys. We share that same passion. And I think that really comes through. We're teachers and students, but we work elbow to elbow under the hood. Ultimately, I'm a mechanic. I'm a teacher, but we're all technicians."

Barroso accepted the RIDE CTE Teacher of the Year award with the same kind of humility, a trait that has served him well in his position, especially since becoming a teacher was never his "Plan A" to start.

"I think the highest honor I receive is being able to teach these great students, but in terms of me, professionally," Barroso concluded. "Back in 2016 I was named the district's CTC teacher of the year. I was also named SkillsUSA advisor of the year. But this is one that is a highlight, that's for sure. I never thought I would become a teacher. Not bad for a Plan B, huh."