By CUSD Insider staff
It’s a fitting name: Eureka!
Commonly understood as having a moment of discovery — as if proclaiming “I’ve found it!” — over at Capistrano Unified, the Eureka! Career Exploration Workshops are about facilitating a space where students can find their own moments of self-discovery.
Eureka! is the name of this modern, data-driven career exploration platform used by the Futureology team to facilitate a series of career-focused assessments for groups of 9th/10th, and 11th grade students.
There are two different kinds of workshops offered, one geared for 9th and 10th grade students and another geared for 11th grade students. The workshops are offered both online and in person. In total, six workshops are being offered for students throughout the district, three for 9th/10th graders and three for 11th graders. In person workshops are offered at Cal Prep Academy in San Juan Capistrano.
Beatrice Nguyen, college and career counselor for Capistrano Unified, noted that the ninth- and tenth-grade workshop is an important foundation to start students’ journey to their future selves.
“They must begin their journey with self and career exploration,” she said. “That process lasts through 11th grade where they can begin to synthesize what they have discovered and apply it to their college search.”
Through Eureka, students explore things like their own values, personality traits, interests, and personal strengths.
The workshops begin in the ninth- and tenth-grade with a personality and learning style assessment. Then, in 11th grade, they complete additional personality assessments. Following the workshop, parents and guardians receive a follow up email that shares what students learned and recommendations for next steps. The purpose of the follow up is to continue career conversations at home.
Once they have a sense of themselves, students can align their potential futures with careers and whatever educational pathway (trade school, college or another route) they need to get there.
Nguyen noted that students finding their futures, of course, is a process.
“We remind them they’re not going to discover their life’s path that first night,” she said. “They probably won’t even do that in high school.”
Life’s journey can take several turns after high school, beyond what one expects, Nguyen added.
That’s why Eureka helps prepare students for the distinct possibility that they may have multiple careers and jobs in life, different from earlier generations who may have stuck with the same line of work until retirement.
“That’s just not the trajectory for younger generations,” Nguyen said. “We have to teach them 21st-century employability skills in an ever-changing world of work.”
The next Eureka Career Workshop for ninth and tenth graders is happening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 17 online via Zoom.
Students and parents can sign up for Eureka by visiting https://www.cusd-futureology.org/appointments-events/frequently-asked-questions
To download the workshop flyer, click here.