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I remember sitting in my office a few years ago with a student named Leo. Leo was a brilliant coder who had been building apps since he was twelve. He…

I remember the smell of floor wax and the heavy weight of a printed course catalog during my first week of college. Back then, we did not have digital portals…

Imagine standing at the edge of a vast, foggy forest with a heavy backpack and a destination miles away. One traveler has a GPS, a topographic map, and a clear…

Many people believe the myth that career education is only for students who do not plan to attend a four-year university. In my eighteen years as a researcher and advisor,…

Imagine a high school senior named Marcus who sits at his kitchen table, staring at a college brochure for an accounting program. He sees a bold heading that mentions the…

I once sat across from a student named Marcus who was devastated. He had spent three years and thousands of dollars pursuing a degree in “Global Studies” because he liked…

I remember a student named Leo who walked into my office during his second semester. He was staring at a degree audit form, looking completely defeated. “Dr. Westbrook,” he said,…

Imagine walking into a room where everyone is speaking a language that sounds like English, yet the meaning remains just out of reach. This is the experience many students face…

I once had a relative ask me to fix their toaster because I told them I was studying Information Systems. I had to explain that while I understood how the…

In recent years, researchers have identified a growing trend called the “hidden curriculum” in higher education. This refers to the unspoken rules, social norms, and complex language that students are…