ACE Hosts Inaugural Building Pathways Convening in Virginia

Supported by Imaginable Futures, this new ACE effort aims to explore strategies that expand opportunities for learners.

The initiative is designed to amplify state-led efforts to advance student success by connecting them with national resources. These one-day, in-person convenings provide insights to both identify opportunities and strengthen cross-sector engagement to benefit shared interests in student access, success, and earnings.

The convening-Building Pathways in Virginia: Bridging Education and Workforce for All-highlighted bipartisan initiatives supporting student parents and veterans. It opened with welcomes from stakeholders, including Virginia Delegate Betsy B. Carr, who noted the initiatives enable student parents and veterans to balance family responsibilities while pursuing education.

Betsy B. Carr, member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 78th district.

Throughout the day, attendees took part in interactive exercises and panel discussions and heard from expert presenters. Highlights included an overview of the Strada Education Foundation's State Opportunity Index by Dave Clayton, senior vice president of research at Strada, and a presentation by the Urban Institute's Theresa Anderson on why supporting student parents is good for all of Virginia-and how collecting good data is the first step.

Two panels anchored the day's conversations. In one, students shared their experiences balancing education, work, and family responsibilities.

From left to right: Danielle Terrell, VCU student; Katherine Martinez, Navy veteran and graduate of from Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University; Nolan Healy, Marine Corp Infantry veteran and first-generation college student at Virginia Peninsula Community College; and Cheyenne Sawyer. student at Virginia Peninsula Community College. The panel was moderated by Paula Robinson, associate director of student success opportunities and engagement at SCHEV.

The second was a cross-sector discussion, moderated by ACE's Heidi Tseu, assistant vice president of national engagement, on how institutions, employers, and policymakers can better advocate for student-parents, veterans, and other nontraditional learners across the continuum from higher education to the workforce. Panelists included:

• M. Kirkland Cox - president, Virginia Business Higher Education Council; former speaker, Virginia House of Delegates
• Bob Pryor - vice president, Student Veterans Association, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Danielle Pearles - senior associate director, Employer and Experiential Development, Virginia Commonwealth University

Pryor, a Navy veteran and VCU political science graduate who is currently pursuing a master's in public administration from the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs while interning at Dominion Energy, emphasized the importance of education for veterans transitioning to civilian life.

The event concluded with workshops that turned discussion into action, ensuring ideas generated throughout the day could translate into tangible next steps.

Future convenings will spotlight innovative state-led approaches that foster cross-sector partnerships and affirm higher education as a powerful engine of opportunity for all learners.