Virginia’s Profile of a Graduate: From Vision to Reality

When I served on Virginia’s Board of Education, I remember how excited we were to develop Virginia’s Profile of a Graduate.  We wanted Virginia’s students to be equipped and prepared for success in college and the workforce so that they could be globally competitive with the skills needed to excel in their future careers.  While it was rewarding to lay the foundation for Virginia’s students’ success during my time on the Board, it is even more rewarding to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization that is on the front lines of directly implementing programs that prepare and equip our students through grassroots initiatives.  Virginia Ed Strategies has partnered with school districts and community partners in regions around our state to strengthen the pipeline of Virginia’s students ready for successful entry into college and career experiences.  As we meet with education and business leaders around the state, it is truly inspiring to learn about some of the amazing work-based learning experiences that students have the opportunity to participate in.

We were especially impressed to learn about the Shenandoah Valley Future Entrepreneurs Program. I had the opportunity to interview Bethany Everidge, CTE Coordinator for Harrisonburg City Public Schools, about this program and the impact that it has had on the students in the community.  She believes that participation in the program was a great way for students to apply the knowledge from the classroom to the real world and gain meaningful skills to help them succeed in their future careers.    Participants in the program include students from Harrisonburg City, Rockingham County, Waynesboro City, Augusta County, and Stuart Hall.   The program enables students to gain first-hand experience regarding what is necessary for someone to start and operate their own business.  The program is an entrepreneurial workshop designed to provide students with an opportunity to use critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills to develop a solution to a real-world problem. Students brainstorm problems and issues that they are passionate about trying to solve.  After selecting a problem, the students brainstorm creative solutions to solve the problem.  The students then pitch their idea to business leaders within the community and receive valuable business advice and guidance from these experts.  By providing students the opportunity to take their skills into a simulated workforce, they can explore different career paths.  In the past, students have focused on problems related to mental health, racism, obesity, depression, financial literacy, and distracted driving.  The program provides students with the opportunity to approach learning in new ways while learning the skills that they need to become better problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We are truly fortunate to have talented educators in our state providing opportunities like this to prepare our students for success in their future careers.    It is so exciting to see how innovative programs like the Shenandoah Valley Future Entrepreneurs bring reality to the vision that we instilled years ago in Virginia’s Profile of a Graduate.