Students Build Foundation on Career Planning at Antioch High School

Students at Antioch High School (2022 Career Choices Medal winner) are prepared for the rest of their education goals when they learn about career planning, said teacher Nick Wisely.

“It builds a great foundation for kids,” Wisely said. “Especially at our school, a lot of kids are just happy to graduate, but talking about college, future, and careers—it’s just a great place to start.”

Conversations Revolve Around Career Goals at Benicia High School

Students are able to thrive and stay focused when their 10-year plans are included in conversations, including in counseling and in discipline, said Brianna Kleinschmidt, Principal at Benicia High School, one of the 2022 Career Choices Gold Medal Schools.

“It’s just changed the conversations we’ve had around career exploration and career readiness,” Kleinschmidt said. “Our students are more prepared, they’re asking different questions, and they’re taking the opportunities that they have. They’re just a little more focused.”

California City High School Wins Seventh Consecutive Career Choices Gold Medal

California City High School is being awarded with a Career Choices Gold Medal for promoting student success with the Career Choices series curriculum and My10yearPlan.com. This is their seventh consecutive gold medal!

“We love recognizing hardworking and talented educators across the country, but the real winners are the students and their communities,” said Mindy Bingham, author of the Career Choices series curriculum and CEO of Academic Innovations. “Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated teachers and administrators, students are set up for long-term success with meaningful 10-year plans to guide them toward achieving their career and life goals.”

Online 10-Year Plans Guide Students to Success at Diamond Technology Institute

Online 10-year plans are used in many aspects of education for students at Diamond Technology Institute, including discipline and counseling, said teacher Roberto Zamora-Rocha. Diamond Technology Institute was awarded a Career Choices Medal for their role in helping inspire students with the Career Choices series curriculum.

“This program gives students options,” Zamora-Rocha said. “It gives them possibilities.”

Students Shape Schedules Around 10-Year Plans at Hoopeston Area High School

Not only do students at Hoopeston Area High School enter their freshman year already having learned about the importance of planning for their future in middle school, they use their 10-year plans to shape their schedules for the rest of their high school careers.

“I see a lot more students looking toward their future,” said Suzanne Lambert, a teacher at Hoopeston. “We have the Building a Bridge curriculum in middle school, so they come up talking about it a little more. A lot of them are starting to have a plan now when it comes to scheduling their classes.”

Career and College Readiness Gives Lompoc High School Another Year of Success

“Lompoc High School has successfully taught the course, which we call Career and College Readiness, to all freshmen for the last several years,” said Kari Rosson, a teacher at Lompoc High School (3-year Career Choices Medal Winner).

“Our results have shown a decrease of missed days and an increase of graduation percentages,” Rosson said. “I have a passion for educating today’s students for their futures, and by providing each student with their 10-year Plan a reason to stay in school, combined with researched career opportunities for these students to be successful, I have taken students to the next level of being prepared after graduation.”

North Point Academy Inspires Students With Independent Study

North Point Academy in Grass Valley, California, holds all of their classes via online independent study, but that hasn’t stopped students from learning about the importance of planning for their futures with the Career Choices series program.

"It’s really an essential program to show students what that all looks like—how to plan for college and that they can even go to college,” said Janet Mason, a teacher at North Point Academy (2022 Career Choices Silver Medal Winner)."

Career Planning Builds Teacher-Student Relationships at Orland High School

Since launching their own Career Choices series program, teachers at Orland High School are able to understand their students better because they know where they want to go in life, said Miranda Coughlin, an academic adviser at Orland High (2022 Career Choices Medal Winner).

“Where we’ve really seen it help is in the focus they’re going to take while they’re on our campus and then what their plan is after they graduate,” Coughlin said. “It’s just opened up a lot of conversations about what life after high school actually looks like.”

Students Discover Value in Education at River City High School

River City High School was awarded a Career Choices Medal for the sixth year in a row in 2022 for their outstanding life- and career-planning program.

“Instead of hearing this question all the time: ‘Why do I have to take math? I hate math, or I hate English, or whatever,’” said Marlaina Schroeder Spivey, a teacher at River City High School. “Instead of that, students are walking into the counseling office and advocating for themselves. That was the biggest change.”

How Career Choices Series Program Helps Charter School Support Pathways

Eight years after initially launching a Career Choices series program at their school, River Springs Charter School (2022 Career Choices Medal Winner) continues to see positive results that impact all of their students, said teacher Matthew Ramey.

“It’s a culture-changing program,” Ramey said. “It just really helps support the other classes and the vision that we have with internships, CTE, and the pathways that are declared through CTE.”

Career Exploration Thrives at Southern Trinity

Although it may be a small school, Southern Trinity High School in Mad River, California, helps students realize how important it is to embark on a journey of exploration toward their life and career goals with the Career Choices series curriculum.

“It’s getting them to realize there’s life beyond this mountain,” said Cindy Dixon, a teacher and counselor at Southern Trinity. “It gives them an idea of what to look at. They don’t have to make a decision; they’re just looking and exploring.”

Self-Advocacy Grows With Career Choices Program at Wheatland Union High School

Carol Keiser, a teacher and CTE director at Wheatland Union High School, said that with her school’s Career Choices series program, students are learning more about how to start taking steps in high school that will help them achieve their goals later. Around 20 percent of students at Wheatland are now enrolled in both high school and college at the same time, she said.

“It’s definitely creating a new culture of hope for our students,” Keiser said. “It’s really helped our students become stronger as a self-advocate in telling us what they want and what they need and coming in to ask us ‘How am I going to get it?’... It allows me to customize my teaching to their goals, and it builds relevance within the classroom.”

Career-Planning Program Helps Students at Lathrop High Take Education Seriously

Irene Munguia, a teacher at Lathrop High School (2022 Career Choices Medal Winner), said her students know how to take their education seriously because of what they learned in a Career Choices series course as a freshman.

“I had a student come by to have me sign her yearbook, and I knew her career options had changed, and she said ‘Why do you have us take this class as a freshman and not a senior?’” Munguia said. “And I said ‘I think you know how to take your future planning seriously because we did all this work early on with you.’”

Career & Education Plans Give Students “Drive” at Cabrillo High School

Students at Cabrillo High School who take the 10-year planning process seriously have more confidence and take more initiative in their education, said David Riley, a teacher at Cabrillo High School (2022 Career Choices Medal Winner).

“The kids who have the buy-in—you can see that they go ‘Ok, I have an internship this summer’ or ‘I have a job,’” Riley said. “They’re coming back and asking questions because I can see that they want to do better with their life. They have a drive, and you can see that drive.”