Deer Lakes High School counselor Miss Taylor Austin and four students are participating in the innovative Future Readiness Lab, which is a partnership between Heinz Endowments and the Consortium for Public Education for juniors in the Pittsburgh region.
The lab guides Dominic Tristanti, Samara Minor, Angelos Scopel, and Brett Keelin through a year-long program that helps them find out who they want to be, how they will get there, how they can continue to learn, and how they can give back to their community. It is a program that encourages and promotes self-exploration within the students while helping them make post-secondary plans and network with other individuals in the area.
Miss Austin is the lab coach for Deer Lakes and coordinates weekly meetings with students and CPE staff while making sure students stay on task to submit assignments. She also engages with students in conversations about their future goals and how they can achieve them.
"I feel this will positively impact students," Miss Austin said. "It is teaching and enhancing necessary skills they need for future employment such as responsibility, time management, and accountability. They will also leave the program with social capital, a plan for what they want to do after high school, and numerous artifacts that will place them in compliance with the PA Future Ready Index. A huge bonus is the students are getting paid."