Guiding Student Discovery for What’s Possible after High School
At Project Success, our Expeditions program is centered on providing adventure trips to colleges, workplaces, cities, and nature settings to open new perspectives for a student’s potential in the world. When given a chance to step outside their comfort zones, students start to see just how big their future can be. Project Success college and career tours open doors for students to understand what their lives could look like after high school.
College tours are the very first expeditions that Project Success started offering to students 30 years ago. They started as a result of students expressing a desire to see college campuses for themselves and experience what a life at college could look like. Our tours offer students a chance to set foot on campus, practice asking questions and making decisions, and learn about the college experience firsthand from current students. Each college tour also includes a workshop to help students dig deep into what they want from campus life, while practical sessions on admissions and financial aid make the path to college feel less intimidating. We visit both four-year universities and two-year technical colleges, giving students hands-on experience in different fields and a better sense of areas they would like to pursue after high school graduation.
This year, Project Success broke our record for the most college tours in one school year! We took hundreds of students on tours at: Augsburg College, Carleton College, Century College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University, Hennepin Technical College, Luther College, Minneapolis College, Minnesota State University – Mankato, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, St. Catherine’s University, St. Cloud State, St. Olaf College, St. Paul College, University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota – Duluth, Rochester & Mayo, and Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin – River Falls and Madison, and Winona State University.
“I like going on these (college) tours to narrow down what I am looking for in a school.” – Recent college tour participant
Project Success began offering career tours in 2015 as an additional opportunity for students to dream about what is possible for their life after high school. For these career tours, we partner with local organizations including Cargill, the Minnesota Twins, Allianz Field, and Delta Airlines TechOps. Students tour workplaces, learn about the types of careers available to them beyond the most visible roles, and get a firsthand experience of a workplace, profession, or industry to help them dream about their futures. They see that every industry is full of possibilities, from the most visible roles to the behind-the-scenes jobs that keep everything running. Along the way, students learn how to align their skills and interests with real-world opportunities, practice job application strategies, and discover resources in their own communities. They leave with more confidence, a clearer sense of purpose, and the knowledge that they can take charge of their own futures.
On a recent career tour with the Minnesota Twins, one middle schooler who had always dreamed of playing professional baseball in the major leagues, realized for the first time that he could be part of the team in other ways-working in the office, helping run the show, and making an impact off the field. These kinds of realizations are made possible when students learn more about all the career possibilities within different organizations.
At Project Success, we believe that every student deserves opportunities of excellence to explore, dream, and discover what’s possible. Our expeditions are more than just trips- they are launching pads for confidence, curiosity, and growth. By opening doors to new experiences, we help students see that their potential is limitless.