The Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD) in Grass Valley, California, is committed to preparing every student for success in college, career, and life. With a mission to provide quality educational opportunities in a supportive environment that nurtures academic achievement and personal growth, NJUHSD serves approximately 2,500 students across five high schools, including Nevada Union High School, Bear River High School, North Point Academy, Ghidotti Early College High School, and Silver Spring High School.
Aligned with this mission is the district’s intentional implementation of Career Choices and Changes and My10yearPlan.com in their Career Choices course, a structured life and career planning experience that guides students in self-exploration, career awareness, and long-term goal setting. At these schools, Career Choices equips students with the tools to make research-based decisions about their academic and professional journeys, culminating in personalized 10-Year Plans that students use to map aspirations into achievable steps.
Across the district, academic performance data reflect a balanced combination of opportunities and areas of growth:
Across all sites, Career Choices supports students in exploring career interests, understanding labor market demands, and defining personal and educational goals, a critical complement to rigorous academics and technical training offered districtwide through Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways.
The true measure of a program is in the impact it has on students, and NJUHSD’s Career Choices implementation has sparked notable recognition and personal growth.
Bear River High School has earned Career Choices Gold Medal recognition two times in as many years, highlighting its exceptional implementation of the Career Choices and Changes curriculum. This distinction honors the school’s commitment to equity, college and career readiness, and long-term planning.
Nevada Union High School received the Career Choices Bronze Medal, marking its progress in guiding students toward confident, actionable post-secondary plans based on introspection and real-world research.
Ghidotti Early College High School and North Point Academy have each earned multiple Career Choices Medals since the 2021–2022 school year. Their innovative and determined approach to college and career readiness is emphasized by their commitment to creating a culture of success.
Instructors from across the district emphasize how Career Choices helps students connect classroom learning with real-life goals. Teachers observe that students are not just planning for the next grade, but envisioning their futures with clarity while considering financial planning, career pathways, and personal values as part of their 10-Year Plans.
The integration of Career Choices with core graduation requirements ensures equitable access, giving all students, regardless of academic track, the opportunity to reflect on strengths, set goals, and pursue meaningful next steps.
By guiding students to discover who they are, what they want, and how they get there, Career Choices builds a roadmap to provide students with guidance to become the best version of themselves.
A strong partnership with Sierra College enables NJUHSD to offer dual enrollment opportunities to students the district. Rooted in a shared commitment to student success, this collaboration opens doors for students—allowing them to earn college credit while completing high school requirements. This equity-focused approach, aligned with the Get Focused Stay Focused framework, ensures early access to college-level coursework and creates a scalable model for advancing college and career readiness across the district.
“The feedback I get the most about those lightbulb moments are usually from my juniors because that’s a really intense year in their education and they’re definitely more mature and they’re starting to peek at senior year and they’re like ‘oh, okay, now this makes sense why we did all of this.’”
“Our whole school is built around college and career readiness, so adding new pieces is seamless—it’s not just a program, it’s a culture, strengthened by community members and alumni who regularly return to share their real-world college and career experiences.”
“It’s been amazing to see how deeply students connect with the curriculum—from budgeting exercises to reflecting on personal values—and how that translates into real, long-term goals, especially as professionals from our community step in to engage students and bring career education to life.”