TGR EDU: Explore guides students through college prep

A month of summer is already behind us, and soon students will enter a new school year. Before classes resume, deadlines approach and assignments are due, TGR EDU: Explore offers several free resources to help students prepare for their future in academia and beyond.

Through a series of lessons geared toward middle and high school students, the digital platform helps participants discover their passion, explore related careers, create an academic résumé and learn how to capture the attention of admissions counselors through their personal statements.

Discovering passion and purpose is one of the first steps to a fulfilling and successful career. Through the Find Your Passion lesson, students will identify goals through a mind mapping exercise and create an action plan to achieve their objectives.

After discovering their passion, students can apply similar steps to determine ideal careers and design a plan to obtain them. In Career Path, viewers learn how to assess their interests and experiences, conduct research and use interpersonal skills to complete interviews with individuals whose careers align with their interests. In addition, the lesson provides supplemental links and resources for continued exploration of career clusters and pathways.

An academic résumé follows students throughout their educational career and highlights individual achievements. The  Academic Résumé lesson aims to build understanding on the importance of leadership and community service in the college application process. Several activities introduce students to concepts of self-perception, leadership and empowerment. Reflection and sharing are also implemented to build confidence, celebrate individual diversity and achievements and highlight areas for improvement. In alignment with English Language Arts Common Core Standards, the lesson will help students prepare their academic résumé for future use.

Mastering the writing process is vital to completing a personal statement that highlights unique characteristics while sharing a compelling narrative of an individual outside the lens of activities, achievements and grade point averages. In Personal Statement, students will understand and implement the writing process through several prompts to complete an engaging personal statement following ELA Common Core Standards.

Although each lesson is designed for two-day classroom sessions, the activities are adaptable for individual use in preparation for collegiate success. With samples, step-by-step instructions and templates, students will discover their passion and begin the path to a promising career starting with the click of a mouse at TGREDUExplore.org.

 Redefining what it means to be a champion.