College & Career Readiness Radio

T.J. Vari
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College & Career Readiness Radio with T.J. Vari A podcast about all things career and college readiness. Brought to you by MaiaLearning.

  1. 14h ago

    Breaking Down Barriers to College Access with Joanna de Peña

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Joanna de Peña, founder and CEO of Top Notch Scholars. Joanna says one of the biggest misconceptions about college is that attending a prestigious four-year university guarantees success. Students need to understand that their character, work ethic, and commitment matter more than the name of the institution. She says that fear of missing out (FOMO) creates tremendous pressure for students. Social media celebrations and college acceptance announcements can make students feel that community college or other pathways are somehow less valuable. Joanna challenges educators and families to reconsider the language they use when discussing college options. Negative messages about community colleges and trade schools can influence students to make financially risky decisions. The financial consequences can be significant. She shares examples of families using savings intended for homeownership to cover college tuition gaps, even when more affordable pathways are available. Joanna believes schools should present students with the full range of postsecondary options, including community colleges, four-year universities, trade schools, and other programs, before encouraging them to make a decision. College enrollment shouldn't be the only measure of success. Joanna argues that schools should pay greater attention to whether students complete their programs, graduate, and achieve their goals. Joanna encourages families to compare financial aid packages carefully. Students can apply to their dream schools while remaining realistic about affordability, tuition gaps, and long-term debt. Starting at a community college can be a smart financial strategy. Students may complete their first two years at little or no cost before transferring to a four-year institution to finish a bachelor's degree. Joanna introduces another way to think about college savings. Families that avoid unnecessary tuition expenses may be able to redirect those funds toward savings, investments, or even a future home purchase. Financial literacy should be part of the college planning process. Our guest wants students to understand how manageable debt, savings, credit, and financial decisions can influence their opportunities long after graduation. Joanna encourages schools to celebrate every postsecondary pathway. Students pursuing community college, four-year degrees, technical training, or military service should all feel confident and supported in their decisions. Beyond college applications, she reminds educators that students need opportunities to enjoy high school, participate in extracurricular activities, explore careers, complete internships, and develop relationships. Joanna's final message is a reminder that students have multiple routes to a fulfilling future: "Success is yours, no matter what educational pathway you choose." College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool. Schedule a demo today.

    Breaking Down Barriers to College Access with Joanna de Peña

  2. Sep 29

    Removing the Red Tape from Paid Internships with Corey Koopmans

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Corey Koopmans, founder of InternCrew. Corey says workers' compensation, liability, age restrictions, payroll requirements, and administrative responsibilities can all become barriers for employers interested in hiring high school interns. According to Koopmans, large companies present an additional challenge. A local office may want to partner with a school, only to encounter corporate policies that make hiring high school students difficult. Corey describes an employer-of-record model as one way to remove much of that friction by managing screening, onboarding, payroll, insurance, compliance, time tracking, and feedback. Paid work-based learning is an important part of the equation for Koopmans. Removing administrative barriers can bring more employers into the process and ultimately create more paid opportunities for students. Corey also sees an opportunity to extend internships beyond the traditional school calendar. Year-round management can allow students to continue working during the summer when some industries have even greater demand. Authentic work experience requires authentic accountability, according to Koopmans. Students need to understand workplace expectations, receive meaningful feedback, and experience real consequences when those expectations aren't met. He views even losing an internship as a potential learning experience. Students can learn about attendance, performance, professionalism, and workplace norms before entering their first full-time job. When it comes to internship quality, he argues that students need to actually engage in meaningful work. A welding student, for example, shouldn't spend the experience simply sweeping the floor instead of developing relevant skills. Corey suggests that scaling internships may also require employers to rethink how the work itself is structured. Shorter shifts, project-based teams, and “gig-style” arrangements could create paid opportunities for more students while still providing value to employers. From an employer perspective, Koopmans sees internships as part of a larger talent strategy. Early exposure can introduce students to careers while helping organizations develop a pipeline of potential future employees. Ultimately, Corey believes students shouldn't simply be around the work. High-quality internships should allow them to do the work, build relevant skills, receive feedback, and understand what success looks like. His final message captures the value of these experiences: “There's no such thing as success and failure. There's only success and learning, and learning can only occur through experience.” College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool, including the ability to plan and track internship experiences for students. Schedule a demo today.

    Removing the Red Tape from Paid Internships with Corey Koopmans

  3. Sep 15

    Strengthening CTE Through Size, Scope, and Quality with Nathan McNeely

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Nathan McNeely, CTE Director at Grant Regional Career Center in Marion, Indiana. Nate defines size as being about access—whether enough students and schools have access to CTE programs that align with student interest and labor-market demand. He explains that scope is about opportunity. Programs should reflect local needs while also preparing students for opportunities regionally, nationally, and even internationally. Nate says that quality is about outcomes. Dual credit, credentials of value, work-based learning, and other experiences should produce career-ready graduates, not simply students who completed a CTE program. He reports on a problem regarding demand, which can exceed available seats, making partnerships between comprehensive high schools and career centers critical. High schools can provide introductory experiences while career centers offer more advanced, equipment-intensive programming. He says that having a pathway isn't enough. Students also need meaningful internships and work-based learning experiences connected directly to that pathway. Nate emphasizes that employers often need support understanding how to create high-quality experiences for high school students. Schools and community partners have to educate employers about what meaningful internships should look like. He tells listeners that a welding student shouldn't spend an internship sweeping floors. Schools and employers should agree upfront on what the student, school, and employer will each contribute to the experience. McNeely recommends using advisory boards as more than a compliance requirement. Employers should actively influence programs, particularly when determining which credentials actually have value in the local workforce. Nate says schools may need a both/and approach to credentials—earning credentials required for accountability while also providing additional certifications that employers actually want. He clarifies that strong CTE programs prepare students for whatever comes next, not one path or another. Some students may enter the workforce immediately, while others use CTE, dual credit, and credentials to gain an advantage as they continue into postsecondary education. Nate emphasizes that a true pathway shouldn't be a dead end. It should connect coursework, credentials, dual enrollment, work-based learning, postsecondary opportunities, and ultimately employment. His final message is collaborate! Bring schools, career centers, employers, chambers, higher education, and other stakeholders together because collaboration creates better opportunities for students. College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool, including the ability to plan and track CTE courses and work-based learning, award credentials, and build student portfolios for post-secondary use, and more. Schedule a demo today.

    Strengthening CTE Through Size, Scope, and Quality with Nathan McNeely

  4. Sep 1

    Developing a Vision for Postsecondary Success with Tony Dina

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Tony Dina, founder of Crucial Canvas. Tony says people often overlook their own “superpowers” because the things that come naturally to them may not feel particularly special. He encourages students to identify behaviors others consistently recognize in them, rehearse how those strengths might show up in different situations, and become comfortable showcasing what they do well. Tony cautions against assuming that a passion must become a career. Instead, students can identify the skills and mindsets developed through their passions and apply them to completely different fields. He says some of the strongest technologists he has worked with came from fields such as history and evolutionary biology because different backgrounds create different ways of thinking. Tony argues that liberal arts experiences are increasingly important in technical fields because philosophy, ethics, psychology, and other disciplines strengthen the human judgment required to use technology responsibly. He says schools should help students use AI to improve their own thinking and writing rather than simply allowing AI to create the finished product. Tony explains that AI can become a powerful feedback tool when students bring their own ideas and work to it and ask how they can improve. He challenges the traditional emphasis on productivity, which is largely about accomplishing more of the same work faster. Tony says the emerging workforce requires capacity—the ability to encounter new ideas, learn quickly, integrate different concepts, and bring them into new situations. He believes students need opportunities to become comfortable with uncertainty instead of constantly racing toward the correct answer. Tony says educators can help students develop this capacity by asking questions that don't necessarily have one answer and giving them space to sit with ideas before solving them. He suggests that career readiness should include learning how to identify problems, not simply solving problems that someone else has already defined. Tony encourages students to think beyond short-term goals and develop a longer-term vision of who they want to become, what they want their days to look like, and how they want to live. He reminds listeners that careers rarely unfold exactly as planned. A strong vision can provide direction without requiring students to know precisely where their careers will eventually take them. His final message applies equally to students and the educators preparing them for the future: “You are more capable than you even realize.” College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool, including the ability for students to set goals, write journals, and create their vision of success after high school, and more. Schedule a demo today.

    Developing a Vision for Postsecondary Success with Tony Dina

  5. Aug 18

    The Educator’s Guide to Youth Apprenticeships with Dr. Heather Handler

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Dr. Heather Handler, author of The Educator’s Guide to Youth Apprenticeships. Heather says youth apprenticeships allow students to “test the waters” of a career while getting paid, developing skills, and avoiding the financial risk of pursuing a pathway they may not ultimately enjoy. She explains that youth apprenticeships should not be positioned as an alternative to college. They can help students determine whether a career or college major is actually right for them. Heather says schools interested in apprenticeships should start by examining their own systems because K–12 structures can often be the least flexible part of the partnership between schools, industry, and higher education. She recommends connecting with chambers of commerce, workforce networks, economic development organizations, higher education, and other groups that already have relationships with employers. Heather says midsize businesses can be ideal first partners because they are large enough to provide mentors but often flexible enough to avoid the bureaucracy found in larger corporations. She stresses the importance of identifying someone who can become the “face” of the apprenticeship program—a relationship builder who is comfortable communicating with people across industries and environments. Heather says students should receive classroom preparation before entering apprenticeships, followed by authentic workplace experiences where they can earn credentials and learn directly from experienced professionals. She explains that the most valuable credentials are not always the ones recognized by state accountability systems. Schools need to understand which credentials employers actually value and advocate for flexibility when the two do not align. Heather tells listeners that apprenticeships build durable skills that can be difficult to replicate in a classroom, including punctuality, responsibility, communication, confidence, professionalism, and the ability to work with adults. She emphasizes the power of workplace mentors, sharing examples of students whose confidence, maturity, and direction changed dramatically because professionals invested in them. Heather says one of her biggest early mistakes was not involving teachers soon enough. Successful apprenticeship programs require teachers, families, employers, postsecondary partners, and community organizations working together from the beginning. Her final message to educators and leaders is simple: “Let them try.” Give students opportunities to experience careers, take chances, discover what fits, and show adults what they are capable of doing. College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool, including the ability to manage and track students’ work-based learning experiences (such as apprenticeships), credentials, work-related competencies, industry partnerships, and more. Schedule a demo today.

    The Educator’s Guide to Youth Apprenticeships with Dr. Heather Handler

  6. Aug 4

    Empowering All Leaders to Be Math Leaders with Thomas O'Brien

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Thomas O’Brien, author of Empowering All Leaders to be Math Leaders. Thomas tells listeners that the biggest challenge in mathematics isn't teaching content—it's helping students apply math confidently beyond the classroom. He explains that students often develop hidden learning gaps that aren't discovered until years later when prior knowledge suddenly becomes essential. Thomas argues that school leaders—not just math teachers—must actively lead mathematics instruction if schools want better outcomes. He says many adults incorrectly believe they simply "aren't math people," a mindset that begins with classroom experiences rather than ability. Thomas explains that confidence in mathematics comes from clarity, successful experiences, and timely intervention before students fall behind. He encourages leaders to help teachers develop stronger systems for checking understanding and identifying misconceptions before they become long-term obstacles. Thomas says conceptual understanding should take priority over simply arriving at the correct answer. He emphasizes that students should explain their mathematical thinking, not just memorize procedures or recognize patterns. Thomas believes manipulatives, visual models, and multiple representations help students build deeper mathematical understanding that transfers to new situations. He explains that strong mathematical reasoning improves far more than test scores—it helps students interpret data, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions throughout life. Thomas encourages school leaders to participate in mathematics professional learning so they can better support teachers and provide meaningful instructional feedback. His closing challenge is simple: Do the math. Leaders should solve the same problems students solve so they better understand instruction, support teachers, and strengthen mathematics learning across the school. College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool, including math SAT/ACT support through Winward Academy. Schedule a demo today.

    Empowering All Leaders to Be Math Leaders with Thomas O'Brien

  7. Jul 21

    Career Readiness and Workforce Development in Higher Education with Dr. Cynthia Thomas

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Dr. Cynthia Thomas, work-based learning program coordinator and CTE consultant in higher education. Dr. Thomas says career readiness instruction should be personalized just as intentionally as technical skill instruction. She explains that students retain learning more effectively when instruction is connected to their lived experiences. Cynthia developed the POWER Method after identifying a gap in culturally responsive frameworks for postsecondary CTE and workforce development. She says the framework is built around eight pillars, including learner identity, student voice, workforce connections, equity, personalized learning, and instructional sustainability. Dr. Thomas emphasizes that technical skills alone are not enough—career readiness skills must be intentionally embedded into every training program. She explains that instructors should use student voice, assessments, and intentional grouping to tailor learning experiences without lowering expectations. Cynthia believes authentic workforce connections should match students' strengths, goals, and cultural backgrounds to improve long-term success. She says organizations should use assessment data to build stronger partnerships with employers rather than placing students into one-size-fits-all experiences. Dr. Thomas discusses how culturally responsive instruction extends beyond the classroom to include workplace culture, communication, and professional expectations. She argues that postsecondary education must evolve to better reflect today's learners, changing workforce demands, and diverse career pathways. Cynthia encourages educators to move beyond traditional lecture models and create learning environments where students see themselves reflected in the curriculum. Her closing message is clear: embrace change and redesign career readiness programs to prepare students for meaningful, sustainable careers—not simply employment. College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool. Schedule a demo today.

    Career Readiness and Workforce Development in Higher Education with Dr. Cynthia Thomas

  8. Jul 7

    The Education Supply Chain Problem with Jeremy Smith

    Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Jeremy Smith, workforce development innovator and college reform advocate. Jeremy says the debate about college shouldn't be whether it's good or bad, but whether it's delivering the right education to the right students at the right time and price. He argues that higher education is increasingly out of sync with employers, leaving many graduates with degrees but without the skills companies are hiring for. Jeremy says agility will define successful colleges in the AI era, and institutions must adapt their programs as quickly as the workforce changes. He believes liberal arts education is critically important, but it should be viewed as a lifelong pursuit rather than something condensed into four years between ages 18 and 22. Jeremy says the value of the humanities isn't measured by job preparation alone but by helping people become thoughtful, informed citizens. He argues that students should carefully weigh the return on investment of a degree and avoid taking on excessive debt for programs that don't provide a clear financial pathway. Jeremy says employers are the ultimate customers of workforce education because they determine whether graduates have the skills needed to succeed in today's economy. He encourages schools to strengthen the connection between K-12, higher education, and industry so students develop both durable skills and meaningful career opportunities. Jeremy explains that his popular "WTF Wednesday" LinkedIn series uses real college courses to challenge assumptions about higher education and spark conversations about affordability and educational priorities. His final message: education should prepare people for productive careers while also developing them into lifelong learners and engaged citizens—but those two goals don't have to be achieved through the same model. College & Career Readiness Radio is brought to you by MaiaLearning, your fully comprehensive college and career planning tool. Schedule a demo today.

    The Education Supply Chain Problem with Jeremy Smith
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College & Career Readiness Radio with T.J. Vari A podcast about all things career and college readiness. Brought to you by MaiaLearning.

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