One of the most profound differences between my educational experience and my students' is the degree of access that we have enjoyed. Most of my students know very few people with college degrees. Indeed, although many have set big career goals like becoming doctors or lawyers, most do not interact with such professionals on a regular basis. When I was a student, I took it for granted that I was surrounded by the children of well-educated people. If I was interested in learning about medicine or law, I could talk with any number of adults that I knew through school or my parents' careers. My students have much more limited networks, so I am always looking for ways to expand the opportunities that are offered to them.

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Increasing access has numerous benefits for my scholars. In addition to exposing them to new and exciting possibilities, it helps them to connect the things we do in school with real-world places and outcomes. For example, the idea of doing well in school so that one can attend college is much more motivating if one has visited colleges and can envision life there. Furthermore, venturing outside of the school reinforces the idea that learning need not happen exclusively in the classroom. This realization is a critical one for any lifelong learner and helps open students to intellectual experiences that they might otherwise miss. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, expanding access is a virtuous cycle. As students and their families encounter more and more exciting opportunities, they become more and more eager to seek them out proactively. The more students learn about the vast possibilities around themselves, the more ready they are to explore and attain them. Click the buttons below to learn about some of the possibilities and access points that I help students to explore.