On October 22, 2025, the Lake County Regional Office of Education hosted the annual Navig8Lake Career Exploration Event—a large-scale, hands-on opportunity for students across Lake County to discover real-world careers through direct interaction with local professionals. This flagship event continues to align with the Illinois PaCE Framework, ensuring students receive meaningful exposure to careers and postsecondary planning resources before graduation.
Attendance & Reach
- 6,000 students participated
- Represented 8th grade through 12th grade
- Students attended from every region of Lake County
- Sessions were organized by grade level to maximize relevance and student engagement
Industry Participation
Navig8 Lake FY2025 featured over 140 businesses and organizations that delivered high-impact, hands-on demonstrations across career sectors. All participating booths were aligned to ISBE’s College and Career Pathway Endorsement (CCPE) areas, including:
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Arts & Communication
- Business & Finance
- Health Science
- Human & Public Services
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing, Engineering, Trades & Technology
These vendors engaged students through interactive simulations, tools of the trade, career stories, and real-world applications.
Sponsorship & Innovation
This year marked the first overall event sponsorship by SchooLinks, the region’s college and career planning platform. Positioned at the literal center of the event entrance, the SchooLinks booth served as both a physical and symbolic hub—representing the centralized connection between Lake County’s employers and schools. SchooLinks representatives were on hand all day to:
- Assist vendors in onboarding to the platform, enabling future engagement with schools
- Support student career documentation
- Answer questions from counselors, educators, and employers
Counselor Involvement & Next-Step Support
This year, significant emphasis was placed on equipping school counselors to guide students in real time. In the weeks leading up to the event, dedicated meetings were held with counselors across Lake County to prepare for student questions such as:
“What are my next steps?”
“Which courses should I take based on what I learned today?”
Counselors were present at each session to connect students’ career interests to future course selection, endorsement areas, and postsecondary planning. Their presence turned this from a one-day event into a launchpad for deeper exploration and advising.
A Growing System of College & Career Readiness
Navig8Lake continues to grow in scale and impact, made possible through the commitment of community partners, educators, and district leadership. As the region works collectively to build systems change in how students access career-connected learning, Navig8Lake stands as a model of collaboration, alignment, and action. Lake County thanks every business, school, and partner who made Navig8Lake FY2025 a powerful step forward for Lake County youth.
