In Wyoming, the road to the Hathaway Scholarship can start before high school does. Since July 1, 2021, students who take an approved Hathaway Success Curriculum course before ninth grade can count it toward the curriculum. That makes middle school the right time to start asking what comes next.
One Tool. Used for Years, Not Just One Afternoon.
- Grades 6 and 7: discover. Students explore interests and strengths and see careers they may never have heard of, from energy and agriculture to health care and the trades.
- Grade 8: connect. Students link the careers they like to the courses that lead there, including high school-level courses they may be able to start early.
- Grades 9 through 12: plan and act. Everything students explored carries into their high school plan, ready to guide course choices, out-of-classroom experiences, and Hathaway planning.
Why This Matters in Wyoming
- The Success Curriculum asks for focus. It includes four years of fine and performing arts, world language, or career and technical education, and two of those years must be sequenced. Students who know their interests early can choose a sequence with purpose.
- The state standards already expect it. Wyoming’s Career and Vocational Education standards set performance expectations for career planning at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
- A head start pays off. Students who arrive at ninth grade knowing what interests them make better course choices, find out-of-classroom experiences sooner, and give themselves the best shot at a higher Hathaway level.
Built to Connect the Dots
Career exploration in Level All is not a one-time quiz. What a sixth grader discovers shows up again in eighth grade course planning, in a high school Student Success Plan, and in the Hathaway conversation senior year. Every step builds on the last.
