Student ProgramS at Kentucky to the World

PROMOTING CIVIC COMPETENCE AND CAREER READINESS 

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The Kentucky to the World (KTW) student programs come as two aligned and integrated initiatives. They provide students, teachers, and youth educational leaders with standards-based learning opportunities designed to promote pride in their cultural and intellectual roots as Kentuckians and help them become “college or career ready” upon graduation from high school.

While attending a Student Briefing, students participate in live events, become inspired to expand their intellectual and cultural horizons, meet privately with our special presenter-guests, and actively network with Kentucky community leaders during the Kentucky to the World’s Republic Bank Foundation Speaker Series public events. The second learning opportunity within KTW involves school-based interactions with professional staff and community volunteers to develop career-based skills through structured, sequential, project-oriented learning opportunities at their schools

The Student Briefing

The Kentucky to the World (KTW) live, event-based student program attracts a diverse group of middle school through University age students to intimate, face-to-face, seminar style briefings with our distinguished guests. Our goal is to promote civic competence, career and college readiness, and pride in being native sons and daughters of the great state of Kentucky.

Rather than being shoehorned into a huge theater with hundreds of other students as in usual school field trips, students learn from our distinguished presenters as young adults, while attending a real-life public, community event at the Muhammed Ali Center and Kentucky Center in downtown Louisville. Our live programs, limited to no more than 150 student guests are designed to provide educational, standards-based learning opportunities for young people, where they come to know that successful careers, educational excellence, when paired with the word “Kentucky” are not exclusive terms.

Through our Student Briefings and associated programs, we are transforming the narrative about our Commonwealth, promoting its core values of hard work, collaboration, and intellectual and cultural prosperity.

Student Briefing participants come from schools and community centers throughout the state. Our nationally and internationally acclaimed presenters, many of whom come from modest backgrounds, motivate students to imagine their own future careers while inspiring pride in their roots as Kentuckians.

Thanks to the generosity of the Bass Family Foundation and other donors, more than 100 area youth attend each event, free of charge. “These events are so important for students because they expose kids to some of the most talented and inspiring people in the world, who have dared to dream big, work hard, and achieve phenomenal success,” said Terri Bass of the Bass Family Foundation.

“Meeting the speakers in person, having the opportunity to ask questions that matter to them, and network with community leaders is all part of this rich educational experience” said David Thurmond, Education Consultant. Shelly Zegart, President of KTW said, “We’re excited about reaching out to students and giving them experiences that may be game-changers for them.”

Donations, earmarked specifically for student sponsorship, have allowed for more than 1300 students from 59 different high schools, colleges, universities and community organizations to have private meetings with our presenters and attend the KTW programs.

The School Partnership Program

Kentucky to the World is proud to partner with the Jefferson County Public Schools in the Academies of Louisville college and career readiness initiative. Through our participation in the important work of the Academies, our staff and community volunteers provide important hands on, in-school, and online assistance to a group of high school teachers and students by equipping and connecting them with the skills and 21st-century know-how needed to thrive in an ever-changing global economy. Any school or youth-based community organization can apply for a KTW School Partnership to work with our diverse group of career consultants. Each KTW School Partnership is custom designed to meet the needs of individual students, teachers and schools.

To help capture the effectiveness of Kentucky to the World’s partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools Academies of Louisville programs, faculty member Rachel Rice at Atherton detailed how the initiative carried unexpected benefits. In 2018, Atherton High School joined the Academies of Louisville program to add the Media Arts Academy. Two courses were added to the school’s curriculum: Videography and Cinematography and Graphic Design. Through Kentucky to the World’s Education Consultant David Thurmond, KTW team members Tommy Johns and Morgan Whittinghill joined the Media Arts Academy program to help teach students in an after-school setting.

Rice stated that “Tommy and Morgan came to Atherton once a week for an hour after school and taught our students how to produce a video project focused on filming the next KTW program in March 2019. Twenty students faithfully participated in these afternoon sessions.” This program featured Vicki Phillips, Chief Education Officer of National Geographic.

As a result of crafting questions and interviewing Kentucky to the World’s featured presenter Phillips, the students developed an ongoing relationship with both Phillips and National Geographic. Rice stated about the experience:

In November of 2019, Rice was invited by National Geographic to attend their Teacher Workshop. She stated that “This experience has invigorated my teaching and helped me inspire my students even more.”