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GEAR UP Achieve school liaisons recently met with Alabama Department of Education career coaches to brainstorm how best to serve students and their families.

Eighth-grade students in Alabama schools have an array of resources available to them to help plan for their futures. Taking advantage of these resources can make all the difference in setting students on a path to achieve their postsecondary goals.

As part of a commitment to providing greater access and opportunities to the nearly 7,000 students in the GEAR UP Achieve (GUA) cohort, GUA school liaisons met with Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) career coaches on Monday, Dec. 2, to brainstorm how best to serve students and their families so they are prepared for life beyond high school graduation.

“The goal of this collaborative meeting is to take the GUA school liaison/ALSDE career coaching relationship to the next level,” said Annette Scogin, GUA director. “We want to better understand the existing programming from those who have boots on the ground across the state and create a plan that best serves the needs of the students, school staff, networks and greater community.”

The natural partnership between GUA school liaisons and career coaches embedded in schools across the state was a key takeaway from the meeting, with each group dedicated to seeing students through their education and on to successful postsecondary journeys.

“The energy was collaborative and enthusiastic with a sense of openness, as career coaches and school liaisons shared their experiences and ideas,” said Andrea Rains, GUA region 3 school liaison. “The atmosphere was encouraging and authentic, as everyone seemed eager to learn from one another and build stronger connections to support students’ college and career success.”

Through small group discussions, participants brainstormed ideas for new programs, events and services for middle and high school students, leveraging one another’s strengths to create student-centered solutions. Topics from career exploration and soft skills development to college readiness and parent engagement were addressed to identify ways career coaches, career tech education teachers and GUA school liaisons can extend or enhance one another’s expertise.

“This partnership has the potential to create a cohesive support system for GUA students with tailored programming addressing academic, career and personal development needs,” said Rains. “This collaboration ensures students have access to resources, mentorship and guidance from both school-based and career-focused perspectives, enhancing their ability to set and achieve goals.”

Fellow GUA school liaison Susan Hudspeth from region 11 agreed, emphasizing the impact that the two groups working together as a team will have on students' success.

“I was inspired by the areas of collaboration that were identified throughout the day and am excited to work alongside career coaches in our schools going forward. The goal is that we can all work together as a team to support one another, which in turn, results in helping students be successful,” Hudspeth said. “We’re all working toward the same goal — to motivate and mentor students so they are college and career ready.” 

Ultimately, the day focused on designing programming to align student needs, community goals and professional opportunities through brainstorming and shared planning — and it was well-received by attendees.

“Our staff greatly enjoyed the day and look forward to our enhanced collaboration,” said Jill Prince, ALSDE career coach mentor.