This November, in honor of National Career Development Month, we’re thrilled to launch the Global Leaders Career Development Award: An annual recognition of schools that intentionally connect career readiness to global learning.
Our 2025 inaugural winners—Belvoir Elementary (Pitt County Schools, NC), Hayesville Middle School (Clay County Schools, NC), and Jackson Park Elementary (Kannapolis City Schools, NC)—are showing what it looks like when schools bring global competencies and career exploration together in ways that are meaningful, relevant, and student-centered.
At Participate Learning, we are proud to partner with schools like these that are leading the way in reimagining what it means to prepare students for the future. They are demonstrating that when students engage in learning that’s connected to the real world, they become more curious, more confident, and more ready to lead. They begin to see themselves not just as students, but as leaders, innovators, and changemakers ready to make an impact in their communities and beyond.
The world is changing—and fast. According to the World Economic Forum:
In today’s world, academic knowledge is still essential, but students also need the real-world skills and confidence to apply what they’ve learned in meaningful ways.
Global education provides that bridge.
It helps students connect learning to life, encourages them to ask better questions, and empowers them to see their role in a connected, evolving world. And when schools bring career development into that global learning journey, students begin to see their futures with greater clarity and possibility.
The schools we celebrate this year are making that vision real.
Pitt County Schools, NC
At Belvoir Elementary, students recently participated in a high-energy, hands-on event called “Careers on Wheels & Heels.” This unique experience brought professionals to campus, from public service workers and entrepreneurs to artists and mechanics, all ready to share their passions, pathways, and purpose.
But the experience didn’t stop at exposure. Teachers helped students prepare with guiding questions and then reflecting on what they learned, not just about different jobs, but about the kinds of skills that help people thrive in them.
Students explored how communication, flexibility, empathy, and curiosity show up in different jobs and in their own learning. By making these global competencies visible and relevant, Belvoir created a foundation for students to start imagining what’s possible.
And perhaps most importantly, students saw how the skills they’re building now are already preparing them to make a difference in their schools, their communities, and their future workplaces.
Clay County Schools, NC
At Hayesville Middle School, career readiness is part of how students learn and grow every day. This fall, that focus took shape through monthly “Lunch and Learn” sessions, parent nights, and field trips during which students connected with professionals from the local community to hear real stories about real careers. These informal conversations allowed students space to ask thoughtful questions and reflect on the wide range of pathways available to them.
What makes Hayesville’s approach so powerful is how students process what they’re learning: Through the creation of digital portfolios. In these personalized documents, students reflect on their interests, their global competency strengths, and the careers that excite them.
Guided by their teachers, students begin to articulate how their values, skills, and passions align with different possibilities and how they can grow those strengths in and out of the classroom.
This work helps students better understand their interests and strengths, giving them space to explore who they are and how they want to make an impact, now and in the future.
Kannapolis City Schools, NC
This year, Jackson Park Elementary hosted its first-ever Career Day, and the energy didn’t stop when the day ended.
By partnering with local organizations and businesses, the school introduced students to a range of careers, from emergency services and education to engineering and beyond. The event sparked questions, conversations, and a sense of possibility across grade levels.
At Jackson Park Elementary, the energy from their first-ever Career Day is carrying forward into the school year. Teachers are now building on that momentum by linking grade-level action projects to real-world careers, helping students begin to explore how their classroom learning connects to the world around them and to who they can become.
At Jackson Park, career readiness is becoming part of the learning culture—one grounded in purpose, curiosity, and connection, starting in the earliest grades.
We also want to recognize several other schools whose work stood out for how they are building meaningful connections between global learning and career exploration. These schools are expanding opportunities for students to reflect on their strengths, engage with their communities, and explore real-world career paths in thoughtful, student-centered ways.
Honorable Mentions
These schools are creating career learning experiences that feel relevant and meaningful, helping students connect what they’re learning to who they are and where they’re headed.
Across all three schools:
These schools are helping students grow in confidence, stay curious, and believe in the possibilities ahead of them.
And along the way, schools and their communities grow more connected—bringing families, educators, and local partners together around a shared goal: Helping students build meaningful lives and impactful futures.
Global Leaders supports schools in bringing this vision to life. Whether you’re just beginning to explore global education or looking to deepen your existing work, Global Leaders helps schools:
👉 Explore how Global Leaders can help your school connect global learning to career readiness here.
We are honored to work alongside schools that believe in this vision. And we’re excited to celebrate the many ways our partners are helping students grow into global-ready, career-ready leaders, today and for the future.
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