Evanston Township High School’s (ETHS) annual Wildkit Futures Day took place on October 21, 2025. While variations of Wildkit Futures Day, a post-secondary planning event, have been on the calendar for well over a dozen years, the 2025 Wildkit Futures Day program was the most comprehensive and has had the broadest schoolwide impact to date.
This year, all grade levels are assigned activities appropriate to each ICAP stage: self-exploration, career exploration, planning, and decision making/transitioning. Additionally, four new elements were introduced:
- Each grade level was assigned post-secondary planning activities to be completed in school.
- Standardized practice tests, in this instance, the PSAT/NMSQT, were optional.
- All grade levels were provided the opportunity to attend the career fair.
- An evening family program was added.
By 8:30 a.m., there were 102 career partners eagerly waiting at the career fair in the ETHS field house to introduce the seniors to opportunities in Hospitality, Tourism, Law, Public Safety, Business, Marketing, STEM, Engineering, Trades, Manufacturing, Health Science, Education, Aviation, Arts and Communication, Public Service, Finance, and more! Many partners provided students with hands-on experiences.
After the career fair, seniors selected from 20 different post-high school informational sessions or received assistance with college application/essay completion. Senior workshops included:
- Academic Supports for College-Bound Students Accommodation Plans: Colleges can provide reasonable academic accommodations to qualified students. Learn how you can be part of an inclusive college community that serves students with diverse needs.
- Anxiety and Decision Making: It’s that time in life when you are making decisions about your next steps. It’s a hard, stressful time that can go many different ways. This session will focus on how to alleviate the anxiety you feel and show you ways to make confident decisions.
- Application and Essay Completion: Use this time to get questions answered as you continue to work through your plans for after high school. Get assistance with completing college applications and college essays.
- Be the First: If being a first-generation college student has you feeling alone or unsure, this session is for you! Meet other first gen college students and grab some tips to take on your own college journey.
- Common App / SchooLinks Set Up: Get the help you need to start your Common Application and understand how to navigate the SchooLinks application process.
- I Applied. Now What?: This session will teach you about what happens after you hit submit on your application. The application review process and next steps will be covered.
- (Job) Opportunity Search and Application Completion: Use this time to learn how to search for jobs and career experiences. Get questions answered as you continue to work through your plans for after high school. Get assistance with the job search and completing job applications.
- Money Smart – Planning and Money Management: Industry experts will walk you through money basics that will set you up for early financial success.
- Next Steps for the College-Bound Student Athlete: Hear what you can be doing now to secure the opportunity you want, as well as what you can expect as a collegiate student athlete.
- Oakton College Application and Enrollment Process: In this session, you will get support with your Oakton College application and learn the next steps to reach your goals.
- Oakton College Pathways Opportunities – Let’s Get Right to It!: Focus on your career interest. This session provides an overview of the opportunities OC provides to jump into your career field without a four-year degree.
- Real Talk on Real Relationships & Campus Safety: Let’s get real about the college experience, from relationships to parties to safety. Join us for a fun, interactive session where we’ll dive into healthy relationships and staying safe on campus. You’ll walk away with real tips, honest answers, and information on campus resources that have your back.
- Scholarship Search: Use this time to be guided through the scholarship search and application process.
- Skilled Trades: A Popular Career Path after High School: Learn about the numerous reasons why a career in a skilled trade is being favored over a traditional college path for many Americans. This session will help students to understand the wide range of career opportunities and training that exist within a ten-mile radius of ETHS. The perceptions and stereotypes of skilled trades are shifting, and students will walk away with an understanding of the impact a skilled labor career can have on their lives.
- The Gap Year: Want to explore yourself and the world around you? Come hear everything you need to know about what it means to take a Gap Year. Learn about the vast array of experiences you can have, how to make the best use of your time as well as the practicalities of planning your own Gap Year.
- Transition to Life After High School: Receive practical information about the ins and outs of leaving high school to enter the next stage of life – whatever you choose.
- What’s Your Wildkit Future?: Join this session if you’re uncertain about what you’re going to do after graduation or have a goal and don’t know how to reach it. Here you will learn about options available to you after graduation and get the help you need to reach your goals. Receive instruction on how to navigate SchooLinks tools. Take this opportunity to enhance your resume and increase your skills with the “opportunities” search.
- Who Actually Gets In?: Take this opportunity to explore admission practices. Review student applications and experience what it is like to make decisions as an admission officer. This session provides insight into how colleges review students and work to achieve a desirable campus community.
- Who’s Gonna Pay for All of This?: Get in on the conversation about paying for college. This session outlines the financial aid process, identifies trusted sources of information, summarizes state and federal aid programs, and introduces the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Juniors were welcomed by ETHS Principal Dr. Quiana McNeal and sent to the career fair, fired up to engage and learn from our partners’ employment experiences.
The sophomores and juniors were scheduled to rotate through the fair. The rotation included sophomores in classrooms for intensive career exploration research, and juniors chose from various career speakers:
- Hospitality: The Mather
- Health Science Panelist: Northwestern Medicine, ASPIRE (Endeavor Health)
- Trades & Manufacturing: Trade Collective
- Business & Marketing: Soul & Smoke
- The Amplified Voice: Ann Kate Andersan, Career Coach
With this new format, over 1,700 students attended the 2025 Pathways Career Fair, compared to 750 in 2024.
Lastly, ETHS added the Wildkit Futures Day Family Night. At this first-time event, staff were encouraged to have nearly 200 families preregister to attend. A curated group of eight support resources was present, along with childcare featuring career dress-up costumes, career coloring materials, college stickers, and college and career picture books! The evening was a resounding success. ETHS College & Career Services Coordinator Beth Arey walked parents/guardians through the multiple postsecondary pathways available to students, ICAPs, Wildkit Futures Day activities, and postsecondary planning services and resources available at ETHS.
