Roadtrip Nation Leads South San Francisco Students to Self-discovery and Career Exploration

Roadtrip Nation and its iconic green RV arrived in South San Francisco High School Tuesday. Assemblymember Kevin Mullin took part the famed program that encourages youth to dream big. The production was created to help students at risk of dropping out of high school connect their studies and interests to real-world opportunities.

“The heart of our curriculum is to allow students to map their interests to future pathways in life,” said Mike Marriner, Co-Founder of Roadtrip Nation.  “With the help of AT&T, we are able to deliver this valuable program to South San Francisco students who are in need of opportunities to explore pathways for their futures.”

Studies reveal that about one-fifth of all students fail to graduate on time; drop-out rates for African American and Hispanic students are even higher at one-third and 30 percent, respectively. Roadtrip Nation fights this crisis with proven results. Evaluation studies measuring the impact of the program show that Roadtrip Nation students’ grades increased at twice the rate of non-Roadtrip Nation students over a 9-month period.

“The Roadtrip Nation experience motivates students to find and then follow their own passions in life,” said Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California. “By bringing the real world into South San Francisco classrooms and connecting the dots between students’ personal interests and potential careers, we hope to show the relevance of this type of learning and further combat forces that drive students to dropout.”

In Tuesday’s program, students engage in self-reflection exercises to identify their interests and career pathways. Roadtrip Nation resources include video interviews with hundreds of successful real-world leaders spanning every industry, which makes the learning process more tangible to students’ lives. Roadtrip Nation then sends students out on a “Roadtrip” to interview local leaders who share their interests. Students also connect to an online community to showcase their media projects and connect with peers who share the same goals and social pressures.

The support for Roadtrip Nation is part of AT&T Aspire, AT&T’s $350 million commitment to education. With more than 1 million students impacted since its launch in 2008, Aspire is one of the nation’s largest corporate commitments focused on helping more students graduate from high school ready for college and careers.

For more information on Roadtrip Nation, please visit: http://RoadtripNation.org