When students at Construction Careers Academy (CCA) show up for class, they don’t just study construction—they build it. This year, they’re building something even bigger: hope.
CCA, Northside ISD’s award-winning construction magnet school, enrolls 544 students—the second-largest magnet program in the district—and is working to grow female participation in its specialized trades pathways. But beyond blueprints and skill certifications, students are driven by something deeper: the belief that what they build should matter.
That belief is what sparked CCA’s biggest community project yet—a tiny home constructed from the ground up for a local female veteran and her child, part of the school’s new Home for a Hero initiative.
A Moment That Changed Everything
For instructor Lesford Dixon, the idea was born thousands of miles away.
Every summer since 2018, Dixon has traveled to California to work with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. Two years ago, his team was assigned to a massive $1.3 billion renovation project converting an abandoned military hospital into housing for homeless veterans. For two days, he built pergolas, landscaped walkways, and—most of all—listened.
“We spent two days interacting with homeless military veterans,” Dixon recalled. “It was emotional. We were literally crumbling at the reality of what these people were dealing with.”
Back at his hotel, he couldn’t let it go. How could we help the homeless veterans in our own city?
When he returned to CCA, he approached Principal Lance Enderlin with an idea: What if our students built a home for a veteran? Enderlin didn’t hesitate—he said yes.
Dixon began calling partners. Some were local, while others he found online. He reached out to the National Veterans Outreach Program in San Antonio. The program's organizers believed in the idea immediately.
“No one had ever offered to do this for us,” he told Dixon.
Dixon requested one thing: the home should be given to a female veteran, ideally one with a child. “They told me female veterans take care of the homes. They do the vetting and check on them monthly,” he said. “I liked that.”
CCA applied for a $12,500 Northside Education Foundation Team Grant and began raising additional funds through business partners—15 of whom joined the effort.
The project was officially underway.
A Year-Long Race Against the Clock
Typically, a tiny home at CCA is a two-year project. This group attempted something unheard of: finishing in just one.
Dixon didn’t think it could be done. His students took that personally.
“They told me, ‘If we finish in one year, you have to barbecue for us,’” he laughed. “And they did. I had to make Jamaican barbecue for all of them.”
With that, the Home for a Hero house fell right in step with CCA’s regular home-building schedule—except this one carried a purpose students could feel every day.
“When the kids went downtown and saw how people live… it changed them,” Dixon said. “They were motivated because they saw the need.”
More Than a Project
For many students, the Home for a Hero build didn’t just shape walls and ceilings—it shaped their futures. Seniors Jorge Lopez and Lucas McKee were impacted by this project with a purpose.
Lopez always thought he’d follow his father into the oil field. Construction seemed like the closest fit.
“I'm the type of person who doesn’t like sitting at a computer,” he said. “I like going outside and working with my hands.” But the project changed things for him.
“Just knowing your project is going to live on and help someone who helped us… it feels really good,” he said. “Not many people my age can say someone lives in something they built.”
McKee came to CCA after watching his older brother thrive there. But he connected to the project in an especially personal way—through service.
He volunteers at his church, helping feed homeless individuals under the bridge at Church of Hope in downtown San Antonio. Building a home for a veteran, he said, struck a chord with him.
“Hearing that something I build could help someone from that community—someone who served our country—changes how I work. I hold myself to a higher standard,” he said. “Instead of saying, ‘It’ll be fine,’ I want it to be perfect. The least we can do is give them a beautiful home.”
Both students say CCA opened career paths they never considered—and gave them a chance to make a real difference while still in high school.
“It’s something you enjoy doing and also make a good living at,” McKee said. “This school is a blessing.”
A Story Built to Last
For Dixon, Enderlin, and the entire CCA community, Home for a Hero is more than a capstone project. It’s a legacy—one they hope to expand with future grant support and stronger industry partnerships.
But the heart of the story is the students: teenagers who chose craftsmanship over convenience, precision over shortcuts, and purpose over credit.
“They’re meeting a real need,” Dixon said. “Somebody who served our country will have a home because of these kids.”
And that, he believes, is the true foundation of CCA: building futures by building for others.
CCA wants to thank the following business partners for helping fund this project: JLA Communications, Alamo Transport, Steve Doors, Gillette, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, Northside Education Foundation, Diamond Plumbing, McGoldrick, San Antonio Foundation, Quality Metals, Camacho Flooring, Zip System Huber, LP Smart, and Jacob Arocha.
If you are interested in helping fund this and future Homes for Heroes Projects, contact CCA and Lesford Dixon at 210-397-4294 or lesford.dixon@nisd.net.
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