Career Exploration Pathway
For students in 7th-10th grade, Magnolia Project’s semester-long Career Explorations Pathway is embedded into the school day and year. The Career Explorations Pathway includes on- and off-campus career exploration opportunities alongside trusted industry mentors, anchored in personalized curriculum to identify interests and develop skills, and concluding with reflections and initial planning for a meaningful next phase after high school.
In preparation for their career exploration, students participate in personalized lessons focused on identifying their passions and career interests, understanding the community and the local economy, and developing work-readiness competencies.
The signature experience in the Career Explorations Pathway is spending 3-5 days on or off campus shadowing a trusted industry mentor in their field of choice. Mentors come from all walks of life and from a variety of industries, such as agriculture, manufacturing, education, nonprofits, public safety, and journalism. (For students who are not quite ready to make the journey off-campus, we offer immersive classes on campus with an industry expert to get a glimpse of future careers including film, cosmetology and barbering, agriculture, culinary, and fitness.) Students build durable skills including self-understanding, interpersonal awareness, professional communication, and critical thinking about goals and tradeoffs.
At the conclusion of the program, students reflect upon their experiences and share their learning with the school community, their family, and their mentor. Students also begin to plan for their future through the development of a plan for their meaningful next phase after high school, including concrete next steps they can take before graduation such as enrolling in high school or college classes, volunteering, or applying for jobs in fields that interest them.
Upcoming Exploration Pathways