The Graduate Portrait

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Students possess life skills crucial for adulthood (time management, organization, cooking, basic legal rights, self-discipline and strong work ethic). They are self-directed, self-sufficient and self-reliant.

Students are financially literate—they know how to manage money (budgeting, credit cards/credit scores, saving, loans, acquiring financial assistance for college and student loans, investments and financial planning). They understand the consequences of mismanaging money, understand when and how to file for taxes and are knowledgeable about new forms of financial assets (for example, cryptocurrency such as bitcoin). Strong financial literacy is a skill every student can build regardless of their socio-economic class. 

Students possess effective relationship-building skills and social-emotional intelligence Social-emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand and manage interpersonal relationships. It includes an individual’s ability to understand, and act on, the feelings, thoughts and behaviors of other people. .¹ They are able to engage in meaningful conversations, have strong interpersonal skills and are adaptable and flexible.

Students have post-graduation goals and plans that align with their passions. Through real-world learning experiences, they are knowledgeable about career options, including college and trades, and the pathways needed to reach their career aspirations, including Career Technical Education (CTE). They are knowledgeable about college and other certification options, including early awareness of prerequisites for college, and the ways to access financial resources to support their journey through their postsecondary pathway of choice.

Students are able to build both a positive reputation and personal brand (digitally and in person) that authentically define who they are, what they can do and who they want to become.

Students seek and are responsive to others seeking connections, and build a constructive network of allies (peers, mentors, colleagues and friends) by leveraging personal and community assets, both inside and outside of their own cultures. Students know how to build broad-based coalitions and are willing to rise above differences and actively work together in a spirit of mutual understanding, patience and flexibility.

Students possess life skills crucial for adulthood (time management, organization, cooking, basic legal rights, self-discipline and strong work ethic). They are self-directed, self-sufficient and self-reliant.

Students are financially literate—they know how to manage money (budgeting, credit cards/credit scores, saving, loans, acquiring financial assistance for college and student loans, investments and financial planning). They understand the consequences of mismanaging money, understand when and how to file for taxes and are knowledgeable about new forms of financial assets (for example, cryptocurrency such as bitcoin). Strong financial literacy is a skill every student can build regardless of their socio-economic class. 

Students possess effective relationship-building skills and social-emotional intelligence.¹ They are able to engage in meaningful conversations, have strong interpersonal skills and are adaptable and flexible.

Students have post-graduation goals and plans that align with their passions. Through real-world learning experiences, they are knowledgeable about career options, including college and trades, and the pathways needed to reach their career aspirations, including Career Technical Education (CTE). They are knowledgeable about college and other certification options, including early awareness of prerequisites for college, and the ways to access financial resources to support their journey through their postsecondary pathway of choice.

Students are able to build both a positive reputation and personal brand (digitally and in person) that authentically define who they are, what they can do and who they want to become.

Students seek and are responsive to others seeking connections, and build a constructive network of allies (peers, mentors, colleagues and friends) by leveraging personal and community assets, both inside and outside of their own cultures. Students know how to build broad-based coalitions and are willing to rise above differences and actively work together in a spirit of mutual understanding, patience and flexibility.

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Students are knowledgeable about the history of systemic oppression and the structures and policies that negatively impact:

• Historically underserved communities
• BIPOCBIPOC is defined as Black, Indigenous and People of Color. This term acknowledges that not all people of color face equal levels of injustice. BIPOC recognizes that Black and Indigenous people are severely impacted by systemic racial injustices. ²
• LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+ is defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning plus all of the gender identities and sexual orientations that letters and words cannot yet fully describe. ³
• People with disabilities
• NeurodiverseNeurodiverse can be described as having a brain that works differently from the “neurotypical” person. ⁴ populations

Students are justice-minded. They know how to recognize and disrupt inequities and contribute to a society of equity and social justice. They promote, advocate for and take action to improve conditions of social justice, inclusiveness and equity. They have the skills and understanding of harms, methods for repair and restorative justice practicesRestorative justice practice is a way of working with conflict that puts the focus on repairing the harm that has been done and includes all of the parties involved..⁵

Students are aware of biases and have the skills to identify and disrupt them. They know how to sift through false narratives.

Students have an inclusive mindset. They demonstrate kindness, respect for others, open-mindedness, cultural competence and the ability to think beyond themselves: 

• They are knowledgeable of, celebrate and have respect for diverse cultures and histories, including affirming examples of complete histories. 
• They are knowledgeable of, and appreciate, different types of diversities, including age/generational, race, gender, language, identification, disabilities, neurodiversity, thinking and working styles. 
• They appreciate, value and empathize with others who have different perspectives, lived experiences and world views.

Students take responsibility for and understand the consequences of their actions. They acknowledge harm done to others when they say or do something that impacts others negatively and hold themselves accountable.

They demonstrate respect for self and others, nature and the environment. They are patient, tolerant and kind toward others, including those who are different from themselves, and listen with empathy. Students are trustworthy and reliable. They follow through on their commitments, have a strong moral compass (operating with an inner sense of what is right and wrong) and act accordingly.

Students embrace technology in healthy and respectful ways. They practice good digital citizenship (they do not engage in cyberbullying or spread disinformation, they do demonstrate awareness of digital cultural context). They know how to build mutually-beneficial relationships and trust with others, in person and digitally.

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Students are able to understand, manage and regulate their own emotions. They have a positive self-identity and self-esteem. They are aware of, honor and cultivate the intersectionalityIntersectionality can be described as the interconnected nature of a person’s various social and cultural identities that combine to create multiple, overlapping factors of discrimination or privilege. Examples of these factors include gender, sex, age, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability and physical appearance. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing. ⁶ of their personal, digital and cultural identities and assets.

They are confident, courageous and embrace personal power. Students have a strong sense of agency to address personal and social needs and know when and how to seek assistance. They are aware of their own personal interests, talents, assets, strengths and passions, and can identify their evolving core values and beliefs. They understand personal biases and how these influence their world views.

Students are optimistic about their own future and developing a sense of purpose. They are able to cope with uncertainty and are resilient. They persist through challenges and are able to fail forward (framing “failures” as learning opportunities). They are flexible. They can adapt to new circumstances, improvise as needed and are able to think beyond current structures, boundaries and limitations.

Students are knowledgeable about healthy lifestyles: personal health (nutrition, fitness, sports and exercise), basic medical skills and knowledge, sexual health and drug and alcohol abuse prevention (e.g., they can recognize addictive behaviors and the effects of addiction). They know the elements of living a “balanced” life.

They have personal self-care strategies and know how to apply stress-management and coping skills, including mindfulness strategies, to identify sources of stress and connect to activities that soothe and calm.

Students are empathetic toward others and practice kindness and patience toward themselves (self-empathy). They use problem-solving and conflict-mediation strategies to resolve conflicts.

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Students know how to learn, individually and in collaboration with others, and can adapt in order to take advantage of new opportunities and learn new skills. While understanding their learning preferences, students are willing to be flexible, knowing that learning can take different paths and different modalities.

Students have a growth mindset and are reflective. They value learning from previous mistakes, see failures as opportunities to learn and are able to receive and give constructive feedback. They are self-directed lifelong learners who are intrinsically motivated to set goals based on their passions and interests, strengths and areas for growth. They know how to develop plans to reach their goals.

Students are able to engage in productive cognitive struggle (rigor). They can draw from and apply knowledge and skills from a broad set of disciplines and subjects to make new connections, develop new knowledge, and apply it to practical, real-world situations to solve problems.

Students demonstrate strong foundational core knowledge and skills including (not in any particular order—all are critical):

• Literacy, math, social sciences, physical and life sciences (especially anatomy and the way the human body works), geography and history, including an understanding of American history, that includes the experiences of marginalized communities
• Economics and government, including the U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights; how voting works and how to vote
• Environmental sciences
• World languages
• Visual and performing arts; design disciplines
• Ethics (comparative knowledge of different types of historical, religious, philosophical and indigenous systems)

Students demonstrate digital fluency. They can leverage technology to enhance performance and workflow, and are able to extend collaboration using various digital collaboration tools and leading-edge technologies, such as augmented and virtual realities, and artificial intelligence (AI)Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of science that develops and uses smart machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. ⁷ Students know the concepts of logic/coding. They have knowledge of internet security/ cybersecurity, and are able to use it to protect their identity and work online. They are able to produce as well as consume content online.

Students are resourceful. They are able to access resources needed to learn from a variety of sources, including online/digital environments and other people (peers, mentors, experts, strangers with common learning interests, etc.).

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Students are knowledgeable about, and have experience applying, a variety of problem-solving approaches. They also apply ethical principles and critical consciousnessCritical consciousness can be described as having awareness of how their identity and position in relation to power, as well as that of others, affect group dynamics. ⁸ to problem solving. They take initiative to solve problems, alone and in collaboration with others.

They utilize critical thinking skills (logical and analytical thinking in which they question, analyze, interpret, evaluate and make a judgment about what they read, hear, say or write). Students know how to collect, filter and synthesize large amounts of data into meaningful and clear information, stories, patterns and persistent themes. They know how to curate and interpret information from diverse and trustworthy sources across all types of media, and discern what is fact or misinformation in order to inform their own perspectives and make informed decisions about unfamiliar problems. Students are knowledgeable about the ways in which online content can be created, manipulated and spread by AI.

Students demonstrate strategic thinking. They can create plans that are solutions-oriented and reflect consideration of the long-term consequences of actions and decisions. They demonstrate systems thinking (understanding how systems work and the relationship of the parts to the whole).

Students are creative, innovative and cognitively flexible. They are able to think divergently, shift their way of thinking and think of multiple concepts and ideas at once. They can generate and combine existing ideas into new ones, leveraging technology appropriately to do so.

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Students are knowledgeable about current events in global and local politics and the ways in which they impact us. They are knowledgeable about civic and government responsibility and how local, national and international government works.

Students demonstrate >multicultural dexterityMulticultural dexterity is a term from the Institute for the Future’s “Future Skills Map” that describes the ability to quickly and appropriately shift mindset, grasp local context and utilize localized norms as an important skill in a globalized world. ⁹ by being knowledgeable of, having exposure to, and being open-minded about different world cultures, lifestyles and perspectives— one’s own and those of others—and are able to explain such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully. They can draw on lived experiences to make communication authentic.

Students have effective multicultural communication skills. They confidently communicate and express information, ideas and feelings purposefully, accurately and appropriately to diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological and cultural differences:

• Using a range of modes, including writing (letters, reports, email, text), speaking (informally, in professional settings, in public presentations, over phone and video) and other forms of expression such as graphics, visuals, art, dance and music
• Using both analytical (sharing data clearly and concisely) and affective approaches (telling stories) as appropriate to audience and purpose
• In different languages
• On different technical and multimedia platforms (web, visualization tools, mobile and other digital/immersive environments)

Students are aware of their own biases when listening and talking to others, and incorporate culturally-affirming language to make communication and content clearer to intended audiences. They effectively utilize different techniques when advocating for their point of view, and constructing persuasive arguments in multiple social and cultural contexts. They are empathetic and active listeners and observers. They seek to understand another person’s point of view and have the skills to do so. They listen, observe actively and work to stay present in a conversation. They work to interpret nonverbal cues in communication.

Students see themselves connected to their local and global communities. They have a service mindset and take action to improve the world around them:

• They are environmentally responsible. They understand the environmental impact of human behavior and are knowledgeable about climate change. They know and employ strategies for climate resilience and sustainable living.
• They proactively contribute to the betterment of society, and to the creation of safer and more inclusive local and global communities. They take action, including knowing how and to whom to report concerns related to the safety of themselves and others.
• They understand how technology plays a role in improving civic engagement, especially in expanding access for all to participate

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Students are relational and interdependent. They understand that effective collaboration requires utilizing their own and others’ skills, assets and perspectives. They seek to work with others in small and large groups (in person and virtually) to develop ideas and complete projects. They maximize creative thinking and collaborative idea generation through rapid creation and sharing of content.

Students value collaborating in diverse teams and know how to harness the collective genius of their team members to maximize productivity and impact. They value the opinions, perspectives, lived experience, skills and attributes of others, and demonstrate critical consciousness (awareness of how one’s identity and position in relation to power structures affects group dynamics).

Students understand and apply basic structure and attributes of effective teams. They know how to apply advanced technology (e.g., augmented and virtual realities, artificial intelligence (AI)Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of science that develops and uses smart machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.¹⁰) to improve collaboration.