This Year Is My Year

Team members: Peter Barton, Allison Green, Greg McCormack, James McQuilla, Julie Moore, Tony Pope, Lindsey Vance, Nickisha Woodward, Ellen Zisholtz

The second semester of senior year is such a critical time for all high school students, but is of particular importance for students who have fallen behind and don’t have a plan following graduation day. In May following graduation, they will be adults and have little support in their next chapter if they are unprepared and have not thought about their post-graduation plan. This Year Is My Year seeks to foster a relationship with some of these at-risk students – those who are lacking direction and are at risk of falling through the cracks post-graduation. It all starts with a vision.

This team will expose a group of select students within the often-overlooked Orangeburg region to a number of positive career pathways and post-graduation opportunities. Students will attend field trips paired with in-person presentations of opportunities to spark ideas within each student. The team will also lead a vision board exercise with each student, tailored to their hopes and visions of their future. The vision board will seek to answer such questions as: What does your year look like in 2025? What do you hope to accomplish and what resources will you need to get there? What does success look like for you?

Students will create their own personal vision boards and develop professional connections, finding new prospects for career mobilization and sustained opportunities for their future.