TOMBALL (April 28, 2025)– Lone Star College-Tomball Honors and International Education (HIE) student Daylen Heidt is preparing to graduate this May. For Heidt and many other students, graduation brings both excitement and anticipatory anxiety.
“Being thrust into the world immediately after graduation is a daunting thought,” said Heidt. “What if I get rejected from my safety school? What if I can't find an apartment? What if I can't find a job after graduating? I'm so excited to go to my dream school, but what if I don't make friends?"
With these fears in mind, and experience working in the LSC-Tomball Office of Disability Services, Heidt had the idea to create a digital booklet to aid all students.
To create a diverse group with varied experiences, Heidt and a team of LSC-Tomball HIE students in the Honors Academic Service-Learning class reached out to lifePATH® program leaders and students, who shared similar post-graduation concerns, and invited them to collaborate on the booklet’s creation. lifePATH® is a post-secondary educational program for neurodiverse students.
“It is a gift to see young people from different backgrounds uniting in a common purpose,” said Dr. Anne Ginnett, LSC-Tomball lifePATH® Director. “This experience has filled my heart with great hope and optimism for our future. It will be one of the most powerful and meaningful memories of my time at Lone Star College.”
Together, as a team, the group of students created Project Life Unlocked (PLU), a digital resource that helps Lone Star College students achieve post-graduation independence. The online booklet addresses tips on applying to a four-year university, writing professional emails, using an oven, self-advocacy in the workplace, and many other subjects.
HIE and lifePATH® students co-led meetings where they shared ideas, engaged in thoughtful discussions that encouraged critical thinking and teamwork, and participated in team-building exercises to foster connections and explore post-graduation goals. Thanks to the valuable input from lifePATH® students, whose program emphasizes independence and self-advocacy, the resulting PLU resource highlights inclusivity, self-advocacy, conflict resolution, workplace expectations, and accessibility resources.
Olivia Hall, a lifePATH® student, was encouraged to join PLU by her parents and teachers.
“I enjoyed working on Project Life Unlocked,” said Hall. “It taught me a lot about teamwork and collaboration. I like that we, as students, made something to support other students.”
“Independence is the goal for many LSC students,” said Heidt. “The purpose of this booklet is to empower students to recognize their potential and capabilities for independence, whatever that may look like for them.”
While Heidt acknowledges that the booklet can't cover everything, the hope is to provide the LSC-Tomball campus with a safe space where students can seek answers about life after graduation and ease some of their anxiety and fears. The hosting website also includes a Google Form where readers can suggest additional resources.
“We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, but many of us have similar concerns about what happens after graduation,” Heidt said. “Project Life Unlock is a student-led, student-created, post-graduation life guide for our peers, offering practical advice, support, and inspiration for whatever paths they pursue.”
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