Highland Success Center Continues One-Stop-Shop Success
Supporting students through postsecondary attainment can be fun! Each semester’s Midway Through Midterms event was a big hit for Highland Community College students, and this spring’s was no different. Students participated in the open house for stress-relief activities like bead bracelet making, motivational rock painting, board games, pizza, and even a “Honk Like a Goose” […]
Vocational Education Centers Host Life Simulations
Both vocational education centers in the Highland Region Pathways to Success recently hosted life-simulation events for middle school students. Jo Daviess Carroll CTE Academy teamed up with Citizens State Bank to give students hands-on experience navigating a variety of real-world expenses, such as housing, groceries, and childcare, at its annual CTE Month Life Event. Soon […]
Highland Career Fair Reaches New Heights
Highland Community College hosted its annual Career Fair in Freeport, Illinois, in mid-November. The event hosted over 530 high school students from 10 partner high schools, setting a new post-COVID attendance record, and featured brand-new student materials to support research, learning from, and reflection on the event’s 44 diverse employers. Highland Career Services gathers feedback […]
Highland Hosts “Speed Dating” for School Leaders, Community Partners
The Highland Region Pathways to Success Leadership Community is busy making waves in northwest Illinois. A regional meeting and “speed dating” event for school leaders and community partners in early November helped each sector build an understanding of the other’s wants and needs. Local partnerships are now being formed to support student activities across the […]
HR Roundtable Connects Employers with Purpose-Driven Career Exploration
In mid-September 2025, the Greater Freeport Partnership and Highland Community College Career Services co-hosted an HR Roundtable for local employers to discuss Gen Z in the workforce. Much of the conversation was influenced by JP Michel’s “challenge mindset,” a growing philosophy in career services, with which Highland Career Services gained much firsthand experience at the National […]
Highland Community College Recruits New Schools to Transitional English Effort
Several years after launching Transitional English at Freeport High School, Highland Community College (HCC) is once again working to bring this valuable course to more high school students. Rae Schupbach-Roe (Dean of Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences) and Andrew Martin (Career Pathways Navigator, former Transitional English teacher) co-hosted an introductory webinar for regional high school administrators, […]
Highland Community College Distributes New Resources
A first batch of new school-based resources, supported by the Room to Grow Grant, was distributed to high school administrators and counselors in the Highland Region Pathways to Success Leadership Community in early August. New Dual Credit Pathways documents help all stakeholders visualize the direct alignment between high school dual credit coursework and the precise requirements […]
CareerTEC (EFE 220) Receives Statewide Spotlight
In August, ISBE’s ConneCTEd newsletter put a spotlight on Health Occupations Youth Apprenticeship (HOYA) students and staff. The program, run by CareerTEC and comprised of students from EFE 220’s service area, including Dakota, Durand, Freeport, Orangeville, Pearl City, and Pecatonica, announced a 97.7% pass rate for the IDPH Nurse Aide Competency exam and several new […]
Highland Region Pathways to Success Hosts Cross-Sector Convening
In April 2025, K-12 school representatives and business partners from across the Highland Region Pathways to Success Leadership Community convened at Highland Community College to review goals and discuss implementation of future programs. Feedback was generated regarding the status and needed development of work-based learning, team-based challenges, and career exploration activities in alignment with CCPE […]
Stephenson County Introduces CEO Program
Freeport High School, the Greater Freeport Partnership, and the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship introduced the CEO program for Freeport High School students to the regional business community in May. CEO, a year-long 2-credit high school course, brings enterprising students in touch with over 100 business contacts and supports students in operating a class and an individual […]