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Five Middle School Essay Winners Experience Dream Jobs Through Office Depot Foundation 'Dream Up' Program

Students Explore Future Careers Thanks to Program Presented with USA TODAY Charitable Foundation

Five Middle School Essay Winners Experience Dream Jobs Through Office Depot Foundation 'Dream Up' Program

Students Explore Future Careers Thanks to Program Presented with USA TODAY Charitable Foundation

Published 07-03-14

Submitted by Listen Learn Care Foundation

For her Dream UP "Dream Job" experience, Coral Springs (Fla.) Middle School student Kosha Patel learned about website development from Lori Tanner at Metro Media Works in Wilton Manors, Fla. (Photo by Carlos Aristizabal)

Give them a few years, and the student winners of this year’s Office Depot Foundation Dream UP Career Exploration Program Essay Challenge will likely be making names for themselves in fields ranging from aerospace engineering to psychiatry.

Since it began in 2009, approximately 90,000 students from across the country have found the inspiration—and the knowledge—they need to attain their future career goals by participating in the Dream UP Program, which is offered to middle school teachers at no cost by the Office Depot Foundation – the independent, nonprofit foundation that serves as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP) – in collaboration with USA TODAY Charitable Foundation.

This spring and summer, five Dream UP Essay Challenge winners from the 2013-2014 school year are completing their dream job mentoring experiences. They include:

  • Lindsay Banks, Allen Central Middle School, Eastern, Ky. – The future police officer experienced her dream job with Chief of Police Mike Ormerod and his colleagues at the Prestonburg, Ky., Police Department. (Teacher: Sandra Stapleton)
  • Ethan Benson, Coral Springs Middle School, Coral Springs, Fla. – With a clear goal of becoming a fiction writer, Ethan joined writer Izzy Galante at Creative Classroom Solutions in Dania Beach, Fla., for his mentoring experience. (Teacher: Suzanne Fronrath)
  • Kosha Patel, Coral Springs Middle School, Coral Springs, Fla. – Kosha, who wants to be a website developer, had the opportunity to learn about the field at Metro Media Works in Wilton Manors, Fla. (Teacher: Suzanne Fronrath)
  • Izabella Fusin, Lone Jack Middle School Center, Pineville, Ky. – Izabella’s career choice is psychiatry – a profession she will explore in collaboration with Aaron Stevens, a therapist in Corbin, Ky. (Teacher: Sarah Brooks)
  • Jason Blake Warrens, Allen Central Middle School, Eastern, Ky. – The aspiring aerospace engineer spent a day at the Morehead State University Space Science Center in Morehead, Ky. Warrens also was a Dream UP Essay Challenge winner in 2013. (Teacher: Angela Mullins)

The Dream UP program seeks to address the alarming problem of middle school students dropping out of school. “By giving middle school students the tools and resources to begin to consider career opportunities, establish long-term goals and dream about what they might become in the future, we’re helping to keep students in the classroom, rather than losing them to the streets,” says Office Depot Foundation president Mary Wong. Dream UP student winners in previous years have experienced careers as diverse as veterinary medicine, journalism, teaching, automobile design and military service as a Coast Guardsman and fighter pilot.

Using the Dream UP project-based curriculum, students study current workplace trends, reading and analyzing the latest industry news from USA TODAY to identify career opportunities and understand professional requirements. Through Dream UP, students research several career options and develop a career portfolio. The project culminates with students selecting and writing essays about the professions that most intrigue and inspire them. Schools select the best essays to submit to the national Dream UP Essay Challenge and, each school year, five student winners are given the opportunity to live their dream job for a day.

Sandra Stapleton, the Allen Central Middle School teacher in Kentucky who has now taught two student winners, observes, “Dream UP allows students to explore interests, think about and set future goals, collaborate with peers about their education, engage with family through communication about real-life learning and improve awareness of the importance for educational success. The essay opportunity strengthens writing and communication skills by providing an avenue for published work. The bottom line – middle school kids think about their future in a new way and begin to dream, not only of success, but how to achieve that dream!”

To learn more about Dream UP, visit the USA TODAY Charitable Foundation website or the Office Depot Foundation website.

About the Office Depot Foundation
The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation – tax exempt under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) – that serves as the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that give children tools to succeed in school and in life; build the capacity of non-profit organizations through collaboration and innovation; and help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards. For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.

About the USA TODAY Charitable Foundation
The USA TODAY Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports and builds alliances that enhance innovative instructional programs and community outreach by providing the resources to promote opportunities and inspire all. It welcomes participation in efforts to engage, enlighten and inspire today’s students and educators by opening their classrooms to the real world. The Foundation seeks funding from other foundations, private companies and organizations to help provide educational programs for elementary, secondary schools, community colleges and/or programs in specific disciplines or curriculum areas. Staff work with interested parties to collaborate on the creation of an educational program that meets the mission and goals for respective companies or organizations. For more information, visit www.usatodaycharitablefoundation.org.

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Listen Learn Care Foundation

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Compassionate. Creative. Committed.

As an independent, non-profit foundation, the Listen Learn Care Foundation (formerly the Office Depot Foundation) strives to make a difference to children, families and communities across the United States and around the world. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that:

  • Give children tools to succeed in school and in life
  • Build the capacity of nonprofit organizations through collaboration and innovation
  • Help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards
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