New career readiness curriculum creates more college applicants at Bryan Community

December 10, 2025

Bryan Community students are watching college doors fly open this fall thanks to an increased focus on career readiness in school.
 
The Phoenix are using field trips, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes and personalized career planning sessions to achieve success. Prior to three years ago, only a handful of Bryan Community students applied to college each year. The school’s new strategy yielded nearly 25 college applications last spring, and that number is likely to grow for members of the Class of 2026.
 
Bryan seniors Shy, Emily and Bel are all planning to walk through college entryways. They credited Melissa Sellon, Chelsea Gibeault and Joanna Davis-Yoakum with helping them find postsecondary paths. Sellon is the school counselor and Gibeault and Davis-Yoakum lead AVID classes.
 
“They actually take the time to know what each of us want to do after we graduate,” Shy said. “Once they know, they try to help us learn about what we want to do so we’re prepared for it.”
 
“I like that they’re providing us with information and resources for how to get into college,” Emily said. “I really appreciate that we’re getting opportunities to find that information. It’s helping us find scholarships so we can go to school for a lot less money than we would have otherwise.”
 
“It’s just overall bettering your skills,” Bel said. “They’re teaching us about writing, doing essays, catching information on slides and getting an overall idea of longer pieces of information. They’re showing us a lot of things that we’ll need.”

 
Sellon, Gibeault and Davis-Yoakum came to Bryan three years ago when the school introduced a multi-pronged plan to boost college application rates. Establishing AVID classes was one of the strategy’s major components. The AVID curriculum teaches academic, social and behavioral skills that prepare students for both college and the workplace.
 
Gibeault said it has been exciting to watch students put their newfound AVID talents into practice. Not only have college applications increased, but the Phoenix are securing more scholarships and career footholds as well.
 
“The first year we started AVID, even bringing up college was met with a lot of animosity from the students,” Gibeault said. “But now, when you start the year, they already know, ‘Well, I’m going to go to this apprenticeship,’ or ‘I know I want to go to this school first and then transfer here.’ It’s transitioned from us teaching about college to being able to dive in and learn about the paths they’ve chosen and start getting them on that path. It’s really exciting for us.”
 
Sellon said Gibeault and Davis-Yoakum have created a culture that values ongoing learning and the pursuit of education and training beyond high school. They invest more class time to talk through the college-going process, since many students will be the first members of their families to attend.
 
“Bryan has long mastered getting students to graduation day, and we wanted to go even further: to the ‘beyond’ part of our mission,” Sellon said. “Not only are my AVID teachers incredibly knowledgeable about teaching postsecondary skills through the AVID framework, but they go above and beyond to plan how to tailor that for our specific population.”

During one class period, Gibeault asked students to read a handful of winning scholarship essays. After identifying strong points from each one, they began writing their own 500-word scholarship letters. They learned how to tell their own stories, deliver compelling introductions and explain why they were a good candidate for the award.
 
Bel took many notes from each essay before starting the first draft of her letter. She plans to major in social work in college and hopes to become a police officer.
 
“They help you go through things like this so you know what to do,” Bel said. “Where do you need help? What exactly are you looking for? They can help you get the closest thing to a perfect resource that you need to be successful.”
 
Bryan Community has also increased the number of field trips students have taken over the past three years. They have leaned into experiential trips that provide hands-on activities for the Phoenix. These have included visits to industrial arts classrooms, hairstyling schools and health care facilities.
 
Shy and Emily have both benefited from the field trips initiative. Shy was accepted at a local hairstyling college after visiting it with Bryan classmates last year. Emily plans to pursue either a career in criminal justice or automotive mechanics in college. Her interest level in the auto field increased this fall after a group of Phoenix went to Southeast Community College’s Milford campus.
 
Gibeault said the auto mechanics visit made a noticeable impact on students. They practiced painting a car with a virtual reality headset, worked with powersports engines and learned how to change car tires. Bryan is now partnering with the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools to create Fund-A-Needs for additional field trips.

 
“We had a few students who dove right in,” Gibeault said. “They were just buzzing with excitement and jumping up and down. It was a really cool trip.”
 
Sellon said she is proud that many more Bryan students will be telling their stories at postsecondary institutions in the future.
 
“Their voices deserve to be heard,” Sellon said. “I’m just happy to hand them the microphone.”
 
AVID classes are helping many LPS students boost their future prospects. Visit our website at home.lps.org/avid to learn more about the AVID process and how middle and high school students can apply for the program.
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

---