When the shelves at a Frisco food pantry were running low, the call for help reached Leadership Prep School through their Career Readiness Program. Career readiness coordinator Retna Shaw watched as students responded without hesitation.
“Within three days, ... our students rallied, and they brought in food donations that filled up an entire U-Haul,” Shaw said.
The partnership between LPS and the food pantry reflects the heart of the Career Readiness Program: connection, purpose and real-world learning that inspires students to learn, grow and lead for a lifetime.
What is the Career Readiness Program, and how has it evolved over the years?
The Career Readiness Program integrates career exploration directly into the learning experience. It begins in eighth grade and continues through senior year. Students are required to complete 60 hours of job shadowing before graduation; a structure that helps them explore fields outside of their existing interests.
“We are one of the very few schools that require job shadowing as a graduation requirement,” Shaw said.
Originally, students completed their hours off campus, because they had to source their own job shadowing opportunities. At the start of the 2025-26 school year, LPS refined the program to bring industry partners directly into the school to lead structured sessions. This gives students direct access to professionals across healthcare, manufacturing, IT, hospitality, military pathways, entrepreneurship and more.
The shift has led to remarkable growth.
In the 2024-25 school year, students across grades eight-12 logged just over 2,000 job-shadowing hours for the entire year. In just the first semester of this school year, students have exceeded 6,500 hours, and the school has welcomed 37 guest speakers.
This has exposed students to an expanded range of career paths, including fields many had not previously considered. One example is mortuary sciences and funeral directing.
“We had representatives from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service talk about this career [field], because it’s recession proof, it’s AI proof and the earning potential is limitless,” Shaw said. “I was really surprised that out of the ... 60 students who attended both sessions, ... about 30% said they would consider a career in funeral sciences.”
What do students experience during weekly Career Readiness sessions?
Each week, students participate in two structured learning opportunities during power hour, designed to blend practical life skills with career exploration.
Here’s what that looks like:
- Tuesday: enrichment sessions focused on personal development topics such as financial literacy, goal-setting, budgeting and more
- Thursday: lunch-and-learn career presentations featuring industry partners who share what they do, how they got there and their real-world experiences
A veteran nonprofit speaker posted on LinkedIn about his experience.
“Today, I had the chance to talk to a group of eighth graders at Leadership Prep School for their Principles of Community Service class—and let me tell you, these students did not hold back,” he said.
Some of their questions included asking about the barriers veterans and their families face when trying to get help, and how partnering with other organizations actually works.
“I was blown away by their curiosity and how much they already care about helping others. If these kids are the future, we’re in pretty good shape,” the speaker said.
In addition to Tuesday and Thursday sessions, LPS is introducing events similar to their recent Student-Led Holiday Fair. At this event, students from the Practicum of Entrepreneurship class came up with different product ideas and created business plans for them. Community entrepreneurs then judged and gave feedback on their plans.
“The Student-Led Holiday Fair was very well received, with over 200 people in attendance,” Shaw said.
Why does this program matter for students, both now and in the future?
The program isn’t just about earning hours or checking a graduation requirement. It’s about mindset, confidence and exposure. Every experience is intentional, from entrepreneurship challenges and nonprofit partnerships to military guest speakers and specialized industry sessions.
To learn more about the LPS Career Readiness Program or to become a community partner, families and local businesses are encouraged to connect with the school or email Shaw at [email protected], and help empower the next generation of leaders.
Click here to learn more or to inquire about becoming a partner today.
The above story was produced by Multi-Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.