HB UNPLUGGED — EPISODE 43
LAURA COSTELLOE: CHAMPIONING HB SCHOOLS & TRADES
A conversation about my years of involvement in Huntington Beach schools, parent advocacy, career technical education, and my work helping students find opportunities in the skilled trades.
IN THE NEWS
From community advocacy and education to career technical training and the skilled trades, Laura’s work throughout Huntington Beach and Orange County has been featured in the Daily Pilot / Los Angeles Times.
DAILY PILOT / LOS ANGELES TIMES - JULY 3, 2025
Once lagging in school, Huntington Beach teen welds together a solid future
The Daily Pilot profiles Cameron Rauch’s path into welding and Laura’s work helping connect him with career training, funding and opportunities through Urban Workshop.
READ ACROSS AMERICA — INSPIRING A LOVE OF READING
PETERSON ELEMENTARY · 2025
For eight years, Laura Costelloe has helped organize Peterson Elementary’s annual Read Across America celebration, bringing students together with community leaders, educators and public safety officials to celebrate literacy and inspire a lifelong love of reading.
The Daily Pilot / Los Angeles Times called the event, organized each year by Laura Costelloe and Deanna Garza, a “beloved tradition in the Huntington Beach community.”
The 2025 celebration was also captured by HBTV, with Peterson’s student ambassadors helping tell the story and showcasing the community’s commitment to reading.
READ THE LA TIMES / DAILY PILOT ARTICLE →
Huntington Beach leaders come together for Read Across America Day
WATCH THE 2025 VIDEO →
Read Across America at Peterson Elementary: Inspiring a Love for Reading
ORANGE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEWSROOM
COMMUNITY LEADERS INSPIRE STUDENTS DURING READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK
OCDE Newsroom • March 2026
FROM HOMELESS TO HOMETOWN HERO
A SECOND CHANCE THAT CHANGED A LIFE
Alexe came into our lives as a homeless teenager who needed someone to believe in him and an opportunity to build a future. What began with helping him find a path through welding became so much more. Alexe became part of our family.
Watching him change the direction of his life, become a United States Marine, and standing together as a family at his graduation is something I will always be incredibly proud of.
His story is also a reminder of why I believe so strongly in career technical education. Sometimes a young person doesn't need the traditional path — they need someone to see their potential, open a door, and give them the opportunity to walk through it.
READ ALEXE'S STORY →
Alexe with our family at his U.S. Marine Corps graduation. Today, he proudly serves as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps.
COSTA MESA’S URBAN WORKSHOP CELEBRATES A DECADE OF PROJECTS
LA Times / Daily Pilot • July 26, 2024
Urban Workshop is a makerspace and business incubator providing hands-on opportunities for entrepreneurs, makers and students. Our programs include a Youth STEM Program and a Professional Welding Program, with an Accredited Test Facility (ATF) for both the American Welding Society (AWS) and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS).
READ THE LA TIMES STORY →
Urban Workshop’s 10th Anniversary Celebration — July 2024