How did we begin?

As the day of graduation approached, DeAndréa pondered her daughter's readiness to resolve, prepare, and examine her interactions with responsibilities, relationships, and career. She thought if there were a "practice test" for adulthood, it would ease the transition.

Reflecting on the hopes of ensuring her daughter had all of the skills needed to achieve success as an adult, she decided to create curriculum for her daughter as an overview of common responsibilities adults encounter. When DeAndréa began to have "lectures" and practice sessions with her daughter, her daughter applied these newly developed skills autonomously. Ms. Johnson thought this would be advantageous for other young people to participate in similar workshops for preparation.

After speaking with a college-level academic advisor who emphasized the need of such a program by stating many college freshman enter their freshman year without the skills many basic areas from managing their study time to doing their laundry. DeAndréa decided to implement the skills she gained from her master's program at Towson University in Instructional Design and Development, working with an after-school program for preteens in the Chicago Public School System, and facilitating an ESL program to create 5 modules covering 5 major topics related to the young adult experience.