🎓Graduation🎓 Milestone Box Checked — What Comes Next?

Every Spring, names are called, grads cross the stage, mortarboards fly, and families cheer. Proud selfies flood our timelines, and bright futures are imagined. But after the tassels are turned and the last round of post-ceremony hoopla fades, one quiet question settles in for far too many new graduates — now what?

This moment, filled with celebration but shadowed by uncertainty, is especially daunting for students without built-in safety nets: first-generation college grads, immigrants, or those from historically underserved communities. The finish line of school is clear. But the starting line of life? That creates a far more blurred vision.

I know this personally through my development work with Aprende y Prospera LatAm, a 100% volunteer-powered nonprofit helping Spanish-speaking communities and emerging Latinx talent across the Americas. While researching new funding opportunities to support our programs and students, I stumbled upon Roadtrip Nation — a green RV-powered storytelling project that became a nationwide movement helping young people define their paths. What started as a curious click became something more profound. I saw Aprende Y Prospera — and the students we serve — in the Roadtrip Nation stories.

At its core, Roadtrip Nation isn't just a media project. It's a philosophy that every person deserves to chart a future based on who they are, not what society expects. Their documentaries spotlight first-gen college students, women in STEM, and veterans navigating civilian life — all carving meaningful careers by listening to their inner compass. They've reached more than 14 million students with tools and stories that turn "What do you want to be?" into something empowering, not paralyzing. And it's working: 92% of participants report doing meaningful work.

Aprende y Prospera mirrors that mission — in Spanish and without borders. We support emerging talent throughout the U.S. and Latin America — many speak multiple languages, juggle caregiving and work, and face systemic barriers to higher education or entrepreneurship. Through virtual forums, coaching circles, certifications, and bilingual mentorship, we're helping people develop their careers and build an empowering future. That empowering future is already being shaped by our young volunteer leaders — like Sayuri, a radiology professional, and Linda, an architect focused on sustainable design. Both are under 30. Both are inspirations for emerging talent. They remind us what's possible when young people are trusted to find their voice, be mentors, and advance as leaders.

To be sure, some might say there are already countless tools for grads — LinkedIn, college career centers, YouTube advice videos, and, of course, sage parental and grandparent advice (i.e., "Use your connections and NETWORK!"). But those resources often assume you know the rules, speak the language, and are confident enough to raise your hand. That's a luxury many graduates haven’t fully developed or have access to. We need platforms that reflect these graduates' lived experience to nurture and enhance that well of valuable advice with guidance grounded in reality, empathy, access, and cultural fluency.

A pomp and circumstance graduation ceremony, decked out in a cap and gown with diploma in hand, is a powerful image and a genuinely unique photo-op to share on social media; more importantly, it's the trigger for a career and life-enriching gateway. When mapping out an inclusive future of work — one where aspirations, talent, ingenuity, and determination create opportunity — our path is to invest in an infrastructure that unlocks and elevates that potential. We must fund guidance, mentorship, vision, and second (and third) chances.

Roadtrip Nation and Aprende y Prospera aren't just helping students find work — they're helping them secure a career worthy of their potential. It's the difference between handing a hungry person a fish and, as the adage goes, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to fish for a lifetime. Ultimately, it’s all about the boundless potential that the diploma unlocks. Now, and by "now" I mean today!, is the time to take the baton, run like the wind, explore your creativity, be determined, stay focused, and rush headlong into your hopes and dreams (-: