Akron Public Schools Expands “Dream Day” to Help Seniors Navigate Life After Graduation
The first steps after high school can feel overwhelming. For many students, adulthood arrives more quickly than expected, bringing with it the challenges of continuing education, financial independence, housing, employment, social life, and mental health.
To help ease this major life transition, Akron Public Schools has expanded Dream Day, a program created to help seniors envision and prepare for life after graduation.
Originally launched by Yvonne Culver, program director for the district’s counseling department, Dream Day allows high school seniors to explore one of four post-graduation pathways: employment, enlistment, enrollment in higher education, or entrepreneurship, known as the “Four E’s.”
The experience includes a variety of hands-on opportunities. Students attend a college and career fair, listen to notable speakers, and participate in targeted breakout sessions aimed at helping them build a clearer picture of their future.
At the May 5 meeting of the Akron Board of Education’s Instructional Policy and Student Achievement Committee, Beth Winter, partner engagement coordinator for the district’s College and Career Academies, said the program was well received.
After the initial success, academy coaches began to ask an important question: how can we take this even further?
The result was a reimagined Dream Day that now stretches across the senior year and starts even earlier. For the 2024–25 school year, students began thinking about their chosen “E” at the end of their junior year, allowing for a longer, more intentional journey.
“We let them make that decision, and then we support them along the way of their senior year,” explained Clayton Cundiff, a College and Career Academies coach at Garfield Community Learning Center, who also presented at the May 5 meeting.
Throughout the year, students are guided by quarterly checklists designed by CCAA coaches to ensure progress toward important milestones.
Coaches also provide roadmaps to help students explore their options, build momentum, and ultimately reach their goals. Intentionality is a core principle of the expanded Dream Day model.
Students who choose the enlistment path are encouraged to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test as early as October. The test helps determine eligibility for various military jobs and gives students a head start in planning their careers.
By beginning the process earlier and offering consistent, personalized support, Akron Public Schools ensures students don’t just dream about their futures, they prepare to live them purposefully.
