National Career Education Nonprofits American Student Assistance and Roadtrip Nation Launch New Initiative to Scale Access to Future Ready Opportunities for Middle and High School Students

Partnership Features Roadtrip With Middle Grades-Appropriate Stories on Career Exploration and Digital Generative AI Experience Focused on Both Career Exploration and Experimentation for Middle and High Schoolers

BOSTON, Feb. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- American Student Assistance^® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures, and career exploration nonprofit Roadtrip Nation, today announced a multi-year strategic initiative that will harness the power of Roadtrip Nation's storytelling expertise to reach tens of millions of parents and students through middle school age-appropriate stories. Specifically, Roadtrip Nation's "Explore Your Interests Roadtrip" will send three young adult "roadtrippers" on a multi-week national road trip that will introduce them to inspiring role models and mentors—and help spur their own self-discovery and exploration. Applications for the "Explore Your Interests Roadtrip" are open from February 3 through March 30, 2025, and the trip will take place during the summer.

Roadtrip Nation will produce a documentary about the trip, as part of their long-running, Regional Emmy Award-winning public television show. This two-part series is set to premiere on public television and online in the spring of 2026, reaching 50 million households across the country.

In addition, with the support from ASA and Strada Education Foundation, Roadtrip Nation will develop and launch a first-of-its-kind digital experience using generative AI and Roadtrip Nation's Interview Archive of 12,000+ videos, to build an experience that makes exploration and experimentation accessible to middle and high school students. The Virtual Roadtrip will allow them to explore the world, the people living in it, and the paths those people have taken, instead of just exploring a list of careers that exist today.

Moreover, the AI-powered experience will match kids with content based on self-selected inputs such as demographics, external pressures, and physical or emotional challenges, to connect young people with others who look like them and have faced similar life experiences.

"Research tells us that career exploration helps students enjoy and find relevance in their education. In fact, 87% of students are interested in ways to match specific skills and interests with potential careers. That's why ASA is thrilled to support Roadtrip Nation to increase access to highly engaging digital experiences that will ultimately help all young people make informed, confident decisions about what comes next after high school," said Jean Eddy, President and CEO of ASA, author of Crisis-Proofing Today's Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow's World.

"We're excited to harness the potential of AI in such a promising and productive way—and this Virtual Roadtrip pilot program gets us one step closer to helping every young person across the country start to define their own road in life," said Roadtrip Nation's CEO Mike Marriner. "By working with ASA to give more students the opportunity to take their own 'road trips' from within the classroom, we're empowering young people to explore their interests, build self-efficacy, and discover career paths that fit their goals and dreams for the future."

About American Student Assistance^® (ASA)
American Student Assistance^® (ASA) is a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and prepare for their futures through access to career readiness information and experiences for all. ASA helps middle and high school students to know themselves—their strengths and their interests— and understand their education and career options so that they can make informed decisions. ASA fulfills its mission— in schools and beyond the classroom—by providing free digital experiences, including Futurescape^®, Next Voice^™, and EvolveMe^®, directly to millions of students, and through advocacy, impact investing, research, thought leadership, and philanthropic support for educators, intermediaries, and others. ASA fosters a generation of confident, crisis-proof young people who are ready for whatever path comes next after high school. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-asa.

About Roadtrip Nation
Roadtrip Nation humanizes career exploration through stories and empowers individuals to connect their interests to fulfilling lives and careers. Through its award-winning public television series, New York Times bestselling book "Roadmap," and educational programs and tools that provide visibility and insights into career possibilities and pathways, Roadtrip Nation gives people from all backgrounds confidence and belief in their ability to persist through challenges and define success for themselves. Roadtrip Nation, a part of Strada Collaborative, has been showcased at the United Nations Social Innovation Summit, Clinton Global Initiative, NBC Education Nation, TEDx, Talks at Google, SXSW, and the Harvard Social Enterprise Forum, and their programs currently reach over 16 million students each year. For more information, visit roadtripnation.com.

About Strada Education Foundation
Strada Education Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to helping people take advantage of education and training after high school that helps them secure a good job, do meaningful work, contribute to their communities, and lead a fulfilling life. We believe education and training after high school have the potential to be the most powerful and equitable ways to help all people thrive in their careers and lives. To help students succeed beyond the completion of a certificate or degree, we conduct research, make charitable grants and social impact investments, and support Strada Collaborative, which directly serves students and workers. Learn more at stradaeducation.org.

SOURCE American Student Assistance (ASA)