March 13, 2025 | Nick Gross

Case Study: BCAM High School, New York City

Year 1: Empowering Students for Future Careers and Success

In 2024, Find Your Grind (FYG), a lifestyle-first, future readiness career exploration platform and curriculum, entered a dynamic partnership with Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM) in Brooklyn, New York. The aim was to equip students with critical life and career skills through a holistic curriculum designed to guide them in discovering their passions, identifying their strengths, and charting pathways for future success.

The partnership brought Find Your Grind’s innovative curriculum into the BCAM classroom, targeting students across all four high school grade levels—9th through 12th. For freshmen through seniors, the program offered a structured approach to exploring career options, developing soft skills, and preparing for life after graduation.

Program Overview:

The Find Your Grind curriculum is designed to foster self-awareness and career readiness by guiding students through a series of exercises, lessons, and reflective activities. The program is modular, with students completing one unit per month in advisory classes throughout the school year. Each unit is centered on a key theme of career and personal development. By the end of the year, students have gained essential insights into their values, interests, and skills, empowering them to make informed decisions about their futures.

At BCAM, the curriculum was implemented as follows:

College & Career Prep Class (Grade 12): Seniors participated in a more intensive 36-unit curriculum that delved deeper into college and career readiness. Topics included resume building, interview techniques, financial literacy, and preparing for post-graduation life. This course was designed to help students make confident decisions about their next steps, whether that meant applying to college, entering the workforce, or exploring entrepreneurial ventures.

Advisory Classes (Grades 9-12): Each grade level engaged in the 9-unit core curriculum. This curriculum focuses on developing foundational career exploration skills such as self-reflection, understanding core strengths, goal setting, and communication.

Teacher Feedback

One of the key champions of the partnership has been Joanne Noel, a teacher in the College and Career Prep class. Mrs. Noel has provided enthusiastic feedback about the positive impact the curriculum has had on her students.

“I cannot say enough about how Find Your Grind has transformed my students’ approach to their futures,” Noel says. “The curriculum is so much more than just career exploration—it’s about helping students understand who they are before they dive into what they want to do. By the time my seniors finish the course, they have not only built a strong foundation for making career choices, but they’ve developed a deeper sense of self. This kind of self-awareness is crucial as they think about their future careers, educational goals, and the kind of lifestyle they want to lead.”

– Joanne Noel, Director, Teacher in College & Career Prep

Through interactions with the Find Your Grind curriculum, Dale realized that the longstanding educational question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ no longer served its intended purpose. Find Your Grind shifts the focus to lifestyles, helping students understand who they are and what kind of lifestyle they want.

Noel notes that students have been particularly responsive to the exercises that emphasize identifying their passions and interests. “The fact that it’s interactive, relatable, and incorporates real-world examples makes it more engaging for them,” she says. “Students often come in skeptical, but by the end of the unit, they’re excited to share what they’ve learned about themselves.

Her students, she explains, often report that the exercises help them feel more prepared for life after high school, with a clearer sense of direction about where they want to go. Many students have gone on to explore career paths that they hadn’t considered before, thanks to the self-discovery process facilitated by Find Your Grind.

Student Impact

The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive. Many report feeling more confident about their futures and have expressed gratitude for the opportunities provided by the program. A key element of the Find Your Grind curriculum is its ability to help students see career paths in a way that’s personal and flexible.

“Before this program, I didn’t even know where to start when thinking about my future,” says Isabella Martinez, a 10th grader at BCAM. “Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of what I care about and what I’m good at. It’s really helped me figure out how I can turn my interests into a career.”

In particular, students have praised the focus on life skills and emotional intelligence. The curriculum encourages them to explore personal traits like resilience, creativity, and collaboration—traits that will serve them well no matter which career path they pursue.

Key Learnings

As the partnership enters its second year, both Find Your Grind and BCAM have gathered valuable insights into how the program can continue to evolve and improve. Several key lessons have emerged:

1. Customization is Key: While the core curriculum is designed to be flexible, BCAM has noted that students respond even better when the curriculum is adapted to their specific needs and interests. Personalizing the program to include local community organizations, internships, and real-world experiences would make the learning even more relevant.
   
2. Parent Involvement: Some parents have expressed interest in understanding the curriculum their children are engaged in. As such, increasing parental engagement could be beneficial in ensuring that families are on the same page with the career exploration process.

Integrating with Other School Programs: As BCAM continues to expand its focus on college and career readiness, there is potential to integrate the Find Your Grind curriculum with other school initiatives, such as internship programs, mentorship opportunities, and academic counseling. This would provide a more comprehensive pathway for students as they progress through high school.

Conclusion

The partnership between Find Your Grind and BCAM High School in year one has already proven to be a resounding success. By providing students with the tools to explore their passions, understand their personal strengths, and navigate their future paths, the program has made a tangible impact on both students’ self-awareness and their readiness for life after high school.

Teachers like Joanne Noel, who see the direct impact of this curriculum on their students, are excited for what the future holds. “Find Your Grind has given our students a unique opportunity to really think about what they want from life, not just from their careers,” says Noel. “That’s something every student deserves.”

The partnership between Find Your Grind and BCAM sets a promising foundation for future growth, ensuring that students in Brooklyn, New York, are equipped with the skills and mindset needed to lead successful, fulfilling lives, both professionally and personally.

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