Life After High School: A Convening on Postsecondary Success

Past Speaker and Breakout Sessions

Featured Speaker

James Woods, M.S.

'Dat Yoga Dude'

James Woods, aka ‘Dat Yoga Dude’, was a former therapist before he began his own journey on his mental and emotional needs. Through yoga, he was able to hone in on his passion of Social Emotional Wellness and spreading these tools with young people and those that care for them.

Read more

• Portrait of a Professional School Counselor: Exemplifying Excellence in Counselor Identity and Practice

  Description

  This interactive session reimagines the Portrait of a Professional School Counselor as an example of excellence rooted in identity, standards, and practice. Participants will explore how the NOLA-PS Portrait of a Graduate framework aligns with the mindsets and behaviors outlined in ASCA’s Professional Standards and the Louisiana Counselor Rubric. Through reflection and application, counselors will connect their evolving professional identity to leadership, advocacy, and student success. The session encourages participants to embody the qualities of resilience, integrity, and purpose that they aim to cultivate in every student. Dr. Elzey is the immediate past president of the Louisiana School Counselor Association.

  Panelists

  • 

  Audience

  Counselors

  View Slide Deck

• Life After High School: Options & Opportunities for Students with Exceptionalities

  Description

  Life After High School: Options & Opportunities for Students with Exceptionalities equips educators and community partners with strategies to better support students with disabilities as they transition through high school and beyond. The session highlights how transition planning, IEP teams, and community partnerships prepare students for success in college, careers, and independent living. Participants will explore how Industry-Based Credentials (IBCs), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), and other pathways can improve outcomes. Participants will reflect on their roles and leave with practical ideas to strengthen supports and expand opportunities for all students with disabilities.

  Panelists

  • 

  Audience

  Educators and Community Partners

  View Slide Deck

• Opening Doors, Changing Lives: Empowering First-Gen Students Toward Selective College Success

  Description

  This session equips counseling professionals with strategies, resources, and collaborative practices to help first-generation students and their family's access and thrive at highly selective universities. By centering cultural competence, exposure opportunities, and financial aid empowerment, participants will gain practical tools to strengthen college readiness and confidence. The session emphasizes the assets, resilience, and determination these students bring to the college-going process, encouraging counselors to build upon those strengths. Attendees will leave with actionable approaches to expand access, nurture belonging, and open doors to transformative educational opportunities for students and families from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds.

  Panelists

  • 

  • 

  • 

  Audience

  Counseling Professionals

  View Slide Deck

• From Exploration to Employment: Advising Students & Engaging Employers

  Description

  How do we guide students from “What should I be?” to “I got the job!”? This dynamic panel unites education leaders, industry partners, and workforce experts to explore what actually works. Discover cutting-edge career advising that resonates with today’s students, innovative work-based learning models that create real opportunities, and employer engagement strategies that open doors. Whether you’re a counselor, educator, or workforce professional, you’ll leave with actionable strategies to connect students with meaningful career experiences and employers with future talent. Let’s transform how we advise, engage, and empower the next generation!

  Panelists

  • 

  Audience

  Counselors, Educators, Workforce Professionals

  View Slide Deck

• Your Future, Your Choice: Charting the Path After High School

  Description

  Many students graduate without a clear plan for what’s next. Your Future, Your Choice: Charting the Path After High School empowers educators, families, and students with practical, hands-on tools for college and career success. This interactive session blends college access, financial literacy, and career exploration to help participants guide students in identifying their “why,” building college and career lists, and understanding affordability. Rooted in over 20 years of experience supporting first-generation and underserved youth, this session equips attendees with ready-to-use, culturally responsive strategies to make postsecondary planning engaging, relevant, and achievable—one choice at a time. Dr. Chaka is bringing her expertise all the way from New Haven, Connecticut!

  Panelists

  • 

  View Slide Deck

• Expanding Possibility: AI as a Partner in College Access and Affordability

  Description

  Artificial intelligence has the power to transform college counseling, opening new possibilities for access, affordability, and equity. This interactive session brings counselors and access partners together to explore how AI is currently being used in the national college access landscape. Through regional use cases and collective imagination, we’ll move past “how to prompt” into “how to partner”, such as using ChatGPT to streamline FAFSA support and spark authentic family communication across languages. Join us to reimagine counseling with equity at the center, reduce invisible labor, and discover how AI can amplify the human connection at the heart of our work!

  Panelists

  • 

  • 

  View Slide Deck

• Selective Admissions Post SCOTUS: Best Practices to Prepare Students for Success

  Description

  Since the Supreme Court's 2023 decision declaring race conscious admissions unconstitutional, the way we prepare, guide, and support our students in New Orleans has completely changed. Our students possess the drive, talent, and ability to succeed at a range of selective universities and campuses. However, from their academic progress, test prep, and their extracurricular activities, it has become even more important to start guiding students earlier in their academic journey to obtain success in this new landscape. In this session, I’ll cover best practices across academic, extracurricular, and application strategies to ensure our students are successful in their admission processes.

  Panelists

  • 

  View Slide Deck

• The Coaching Affect – Career Readiness Best Practices

  Description

  According to The Strada Report, a successful transition from postsecondary education into employment starts long before graduation. Education-to-career coaching that includes guidance, timely information, and support can be a game changer for students. This kind of quality coaching and guidance helps students identify their talents and interests, choose career goals, map education pathways, and navigate challenges. Since its inception Career Immersion & Leadership Institute has had a strong foundation in its commitment to coaching and having a high impact relationship with the Fellows in the Fellowship program. All of the CILI coaches (like the two panelists) are leaders within the industries they work in. Attendees serving both high school students and graduates will walk away with new skills for supporting students towards career readiness.

  Panelists

  • 

  • 

  • 

  View Slide Deck