A recent Gallup Poll conducted in partnership with the NH Learning Initiative revealed that NH students who engage in career-connected learning experiences feel more hopeful about their future and engage more at school. For every additional career-connected learning experience a student has, those hope and engagement scores increase exponentially.
In this presentation and chat Co-Founders of Major Choice, Ed Goyette and Brad Duquette, walk us through their program and explain their approach with students on IEPs and 504’s.
Then Tina, Greco, the Transition Coordinator for Vocational Rehabilitation New Hampshire (VRNH) talks about the eligibility criteria for the Major Choice program and how schools and families can start a conversation about this opportunity.
More about the presenters:
Brad Duquette
Brad Duquette is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and a veteran of the Army National Guard. His passion for helping young people find clarity around their career path was born out of his own frustration and the missteps he experienced in trying to navigate this crucial life decision at such a young age. This journey had many stops along the entrepreneurial and educational path, including the launch of multiple businesses within higher-ed, including one of the country’s most trusted collegiate media companies working with hundreds of colleges and national companies. He is also a co-founder of Helping, a company focused on inspiring people to help each other through social engagement and connection. Brad lives in Southern New Hampshire with his wife and two children, who he’s glad will have an easier path to making their own “Major Choice” someday.
Ed Goyette
Ed Goyette is a lifelong social entrepreneur who is passionate about enriching the lives of others through his work. Prior to co-founding Major Choice, he was focused on helping parents strengthen their relationship with their children through the launch of a project called “Yours for the Asking” – an engaging program that helps them put action against their child’s curiosities through the art of asking. Ed is also the founder of The Thought Center, an education course production company, and owner of BeanTowne Coffee House, a nationally award-winning café based in New Hampshire. Ed is also a TEDx Speaker and Global Presence Ambassador for one of the largest parenting organizations in the world. He is married and the proud father of three, who are a continuous source of inspiration.
Tina Greco
Ms. Greco serves as the Transition Coordinator for Vocational Rehabilitation New Hampshire (VRNH). As a woman with Cerebral Palsy, she understands the significance that transition holds in the lives of students with disabilities. In her position, she provides support to VRNH staff, schools, students, their families, and other community organizations to understand and connect Vocational Rehabilitation to the overall transition process and the role that the organization can play in helping students realize their employment potential.
Ms. Greco has worked on a number of efforts that seek to develop and foster collaborative relationships with other agencies and organizations involved in transition activities for students with disabilities, including the New Hampshire Statewide and National Transition Communities of Practice and the Transition Services Committee of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. Prior to Vocational Rehabilitation, Ms. Greco worked as an Independent Living Skills Specialist for Granite State Independent Living and served as a co-facilitator for the organization’s youth and young adult programs.
Ms. Greco holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from George Mason University and a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption University.
