Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s (CGCC) Title V and Enrollment Services teams offered a career exploration curriculum for ICAN youth in summer 2024. ICAN is a free, local program that provides K-12 students in Phoenix, Arizona’s East Valley with programs for educational development.

The relationship between CGCC and ICAN began in fall 2023 when the college was invited to participate in a parent information event hosted by a local school district. During this event, parents raised numerous questions about attending college, including affordability, accessibility, and admissions criteria. The interaction inspired CGCC to collaborate with ICAN in response to the community's concerns and need for opportunities other than universities, which felt out of reach. CGCC developed a series of age-specific college readiness workshops for students to envision themselves as future college students. Topics included What Can I Study in College, career mapping based on interests, and how to afford college as well as many STEM activities to introduce higher learning.

The program’s curriculum for students in grades four through 12 is designed to help underserved students develop an interest in pursuing postsecondary education. Classes provide students with the framework to discover or validate unique professional goals and the educational decisions linked to those aspirations. Over the course of five weeks, the students took one course a week in which they explored different careers, learned educational pathways in those fields, and developed postsecondary readiness skills. The students also took part in interactive activities with CGCC biology, math, and engineering professors to spark their interest in STEM fields. These lessons, along with informing families about the assistance and opportunities available, aimed to cultivate a college-going mindset among participating students.

In one engineering-focused workshop, students designed landing pads to catch eggs they dropped with the goal of preventing the eggs from cracking. They learned how to work in teams; use basic engineering concepts, such as absorbing momentum; and test their egg catchers. “Many students showed excitement and pride in their work,” said Chris Schnick, CGCC’s Dean of Arts and Sciences. “One student talked about wanting to be an engineer in the future. All groups of students became engaged and creative as they tried to solve the problem.”

“I love the partnership between Careers, Title V, faculty, and other areas of the college on this program,” continued Schnick. “The school really came together to engage our local youth in the idea that they belong in college.”

According to Laura Latimer, CGCC’s Title V Director,

The college’s mission is to empower individuals to unlock their full potential for growth through community engagement. Through the hard work and dedication of the instructors, this Summer Career and College Exploration program perfectly embodied our institutional goal, empowering youth to dream big and believe in their ability to create a better future for themselves and their families.

The efforts achieved this summer are only the beginning. Lead by Felicia Ramirez-Perez, Ed.D., Dean of Enrollment, the CGCC team plans to utilize feedback from participants and staff to strengthen this and other programming activities with ICAN, continuing the partnership and creating opportunities for students in the East Valley. 

Lisha Dunlap is Public Relations Marketing Manager at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona.

Opinions expressed in Member Spotlight are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.