PhotoPictured: Mentee Hallela Hall and mentor Pamela Olin share a passion for art. As a professional artist, Olin is opening pathways for her mentee. Provided photo.

Ask a Sarasota County high school junior what they want to do after graduation and you’ll get all kinds of answers: a confident plan, a shrug, or an answer that changes completely by spring.

Some of that is simply what being seventeen looks like. But some of it comes down to something we can influence: how much exposure a student has had to different careers and industries. The more opportunities students have to meet people doing real work, the better they can figure out what interests them and what doesn’t. Knowing what you don’t want can be just as useful as knowing what you do.

That’s part of what our Career-Connected Mentoring program offers. Sarasota County high school students are paired with adult mentors who help them connect their interests and strengths to real possibilities, from exploring careers to building professional and life skills and figuring out what comes next.

For a student who would be the first in their family to pursue a degree or credential, a mentor can become something more: proof that someone like them can do it. We’re far from the only organization in Sarasota doing this work, and we’re glad of that. The more students who have adults in their corner, the better.

The research backs this up. A 30-year study of Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring found that young people who were mentored were 10 percentage points more likely to attend college than those who were not. More recent analysis also found meaningful gains in early-adult earnings. MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership has found that 76% of at-risk young adults who had a mentor aspired to enroll in and graduate from college, compared with 56% of those without a mentor.

Those numbers matter, but so does what happens in between them: a trusted adult showing up, asking questions, sharing what they’ve learned and helping a young person see options they might not have considered.

PLANit Sarasota, the college and career access network we lead here at the Education Foundation, is one way we create those opportunities. For example, we brought a group of Future-Ready Scholars to Raymond James Stadium, where our friends at Fawley Bryant Architecture gave them a tour that went well beyond the field and locker rooms. Students learned about careers in architecture, engineering, operations, hospitality, broadcast and event management.

A student who thought a career in sports meant becoming a player or coach left with a much bigger picture. FPL, Coke Florida and PGT have opened similar doors through career conversations and site visits. We’re grateful every time a partner says yes. It’s not a small ask, and it can make a real difference.

This work matters beyond any one student. Sarasota County is working to increase the share of students who continue their education or training after high school from 62.6% to 70% by 2030. We won’t get there through the work of any single school, business or nonprofit.

If you’ve built a career here, you have something worth sharing with a student standing at the beginning of theirs. Consider becoming a Career-Connected Mentor, connecting with Big Brothers Big Sisters, or talking with your employer about hosting a career conversation or site visit.

You don’t need all the answers. You just need to show up, share how your own path unfolded and help a student see what might be possible.

Sarasota’s next nurses, engineers, tradespeople, artists and entrepreneurs are sitting in classrooms right now, still figuring out who they want to become. They could use a few more of us in their corner.

Jennifer Vigne is President and CEO of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and host of the podcast Education Conversations.

PhotoPictured: Mentee Hallela Hall and mentor Pamela Olin share a passion for art. As a professional artist, Olin is opening pathways for her mentee. Provided photo.