Session 1

Leveraging MyCAP for Student Success

With the Statewide Graduation Council recommending an individual Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) for all high schoolers, postsecondary planning is shifting from a district option to a statewide expectation. We’ll explore how schools can look beyond compliance to build student-centered supports and systems that promote postsecondary readiness. Together, we will examine core strategic questions:

• How can we integrate MyCAP into school systems without overwhelming staff capacity?
• What skills, mindsets, and deliverables do our students need to build strong postsecondary plans in an AI-enabled world?
• Which essential supports and resources are needed for equitable execution?

Presenters

• Adam Seidel, Senior Associate Commissioner of Secondary Schools and Beyond, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
• Erin Jacques, Assistant Director of College and Career Advising, Boston Public Schools
• Kyle Hartung, Chief of Staff, All4Ed
• Dr. Becki DeMarco, Director of College, Career, and Community Partnerships, Wachusett Regional School District

Session 2

Scaling Success: Exemplary Models in Pathways Programs

Massachusetts has made investments and set ambitious goals to expand the number of students in high school-based Pathways programs. But schools face a key challenge: scaling and aligning programs without sacrificing quality. This workshop will examine proven Early College, Career and Technical Education, and Innovation Career Pathway models from across the state — and the country. We will explore how top-performing programs build meaningful student experiences, aligned to postsecondary and career, at scale.

Presenters

• Julia di Bonaventura, Senior Director of Programs and Strategy, Pathways Impact Fund
• Kristen Almquist, Director of Career Connected Learning, Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE)
• LaVonia Montouté, Senior Director, Career Pathways, EdVestors
• Charlotte Cahill, Senior Advisor, All4Ed
• Nicole Smith, Acting Associate Commissioner, College, Career, and Technical Education, DESE
• Jennifer Gwatkin, State Lead for Innovation Career Pathways, DESE
• LaToya Tavenier, College, Career, and Technical Education Pathways Regional Liaison, DESE
• Tara Bennett, Career, Community, and Innovations Coordinator, Nipmuc Regional High School

Session 3

Navigating New Funding Realities for Postsecondary Planning Initiatives

Join us for a collaborative session unpacking how K-12 districts are working to sustain critical postsecondary success funding in a shifting policy landscape.

Together, we will bridge the gap between districts’ ambitions and budget realities, highlighting best practices that protect critical college and career success initiatives happening across the Commonwealth.

Come share your ideas and discover creative ways you can leverage various resources for sustainable impact.

Presenters

• Jennie Williamson, Massachusetts State Director, EdTrust
• Dr. Thea Stovell, Superintendent, Randolph Public Schools
• Josh Otlin, Principal, Milford High School
• Robert Powers, Policy Manager, Massachusetts Executive Office of Education
• Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Massachusetts State Representative, 32nd Middlesex

Session 4

Beyond Enrollment: Effective Strategies for College Persistence and Completion

As Massachusetts moves toward enacting postsecondary planning requirements to ensure students graduate high school with strong next steps, how can we carry the momentum through to college graduation, and beyond? This session examines how innovative higher education partnerships and state policies can keep students on track toward degree completion and early career success.

You should join this session if you are an advisor, educator, or administrator eager to break down silos between high school postsecondary planning, college matriculation, and campus completion supports.

Presenters

• Ruben Sança, Executive Director – Greater Boston, Braven
• Traci Almeida, Senior Director of Academic Partnerships, UMass Dartmouth
• Andrew Ferson, Director, Policy Engagement and Strategic Communications, Hildreth Institute

Session 5

Voices from the Community: Student Perspectives on Career-Focused Advising and Support

What are leading organizations saying about the career advising students need right now — and what are students themselves saying?

Join us for a conversation on what career access supports look like across the secondary-to-postsecondary transition, including a roundtable conversation with students and postsecondary coaches discussing what has worked well, and what they’d like more of.

Together, we will produce a series of recommendations for career-focused advising and support, and how it must evolve as students make their way to and through high school and their postsecondary journeys.

You should join this session if you want to learn about career-focused postsecondary advising across different trajectories, and if you are looking to support students in connecting career ambitions to postsecondary plans.

Presenters

• Taylor Whitters, Teacher + OneGoal Program Director, Taunton High School
• Joe McLaughlin, Director, Research, Strategy, and Operations, Boston PIC
• Tara Mitchell, Career Development Program Coordinator, Revere High School
• Elizabeth Pimentel, Chief External Relations Officer, Duet
• Kellyanis Lopez Rodriguez, Student, UMass Boston
• Oscar Aguerrido Rivera, Student, UMass Boston
• Nathan Laurore, Student, Northeastern University