In this Newsletter
Recap & Feedback
DiscoverU by the Numbers
DiscoverU Spotlight
About

THANK YOU

 

The number of posts, tweets and photos shared with us last week was amazing. We were so excited to see all the unique ways people were participating in DiscoverU and we thank you for your commitment to getting kids of all ages excited about college and career exploration. 

 

For a recap of the week, you can view our Storify, which highlights many of the wonderful posts shared with us this week. Also make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we move into college application and financial aid assistance season for information on events. 

 

Thanks for reading our final DiscoverU 2015 newsletter, and for supporting another successful DiscoverU week. We are already looking forward to next year!

 

- The DiscoverU Team
Recap & Your Feedback Requested

We tried to capture all of the wonderful photos, videos and posts shared throughout the week in a Storify. Please feel free to share this with your teams, students and networks to show the wide variety of ways people celebrated DiscoverU!

We would also love to collect feedback from participants so that DiscoverU can grow and improve in the future. Please take this quick 6-question survey!

DiscoverU by the Numbers

Thank you to everyone who tweeted, posted to Instagram and Facebook! Your participation in DiscoverU helped encourage college and career option conversations between students, parents, family members, teachers, staff and much more. It was great to see all your college gear and on-the-job selfies! We know these numbers don't fully capture every school or organizations that participated in DiscoverU, but they are impressive!

 
DiscoverU week may be over, but college and career exploration activities and conversations can happen year-round! We hope you've found valuable tools and ideas to engage your communities and networks in encouraging kids of all ages to DiscoverU. 
DiscoverU Participant Spotlight

Andrea C. from Federal Way Public Schools
Throughout the plethora of posts shared throughout the week, we saw some amazing activities,  decorations and conversations happening about college and career exploration and what DiscoverU meant to those participating. One of those in particular was from Andrea Capere, who is a multimedia specialist and videographer in the communications department at Federal Way Public Schools. 

Andrea during DiscoverU week, photo taken by Debra Stenberg
Andrea shared her story of having little to no conversations with teachers, staff or family members about the college and career options available to her. Although many believed she would be successful after college, Andrea said she just went through the motions of school but slipped through the cracks. She did not finish high school initially, but was able to go back to school through a program called Fresh Start at Tacoma Community College, where she obtained her high school diploma and associates degree concurrently. She went on to complete a bachelor's degree from Pacific Lutheran University, where she majored in sociology with a minor in women's and gender studies and an emphasis in communications.

"When I think back on my middle and high school experience, we didn't have a lot of career or college coaching," Andrea said. "That is one thing DiscoverU does, it starts the conversation...The doors are open and it's never too early or late to start thinking about it. It takes every part of a community to be a part of that conversation."

During DiscoverU week, Andrea got the opportunity to develop web and social media strategies to promote the district's activities.  She created original videos of students from around the district talking about their career and college plans and shared them on FWPS's You Tube, Facebook and Twitter channels. Another highlight of the week was seeing parents submit photos of their kids wearing college gear and hearing about students' plans for the future. She also pointed out that DiscoverU doesn't have to just occur during October.

"Talking about your postsecondary plans can go on throughout the year," Andrea said. "There are so many people in a student's life that are able to help them achieve their dreams." 

Thank you, Andrea and everyone who participated in this week of encouraging students to dream big and think about their futures!
About the Newsletter

The DiscoverU newsletter is designed to share resources, highlight best practices and  provide you with important updates regarding DiscoverU . The DiscoverU newsletter is distributed by Community Center for Education Results, the nonprofit organization supporting the Road Map Project. 

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