Career Exploration Across the Ages

with Gabrielle Eklund Rowley & Sara Whittle, Reach Higher Montana

Saturday, April 20th at 10:30 am

Work-based learning and career exploration is for all ages! Learn strategies on how to plan, frame and debrief activities in a way that ensures participants are safe and engaged, students practice essential life skills, and the experience honors different backgrounds and abilities. Additionally, we will discuss strategies for fostering community partnerships that support career exploration/awareness opportunities such as workplace tours, guest speakers, and informational interviews.

Gabrielle Eklund Rowley is the Director of the Montana Work-based Learning Collaborative, powered by Reach Higher Montana. Gabrielle (Gabe) is particularly interested in youth development and working to help individuals and communities thrive. Now living in Helena, she was raised on a wheat farm in central Montana. She has worked for over twenty years in nonprofit organizations (from Alaska to the Mid-Atlantic) focused on youth and leadership development, experiential education, and college access. She earned a B.A. from Tufts University and an MPA from the University of Montana, with a focus in nonprofit administration. She loves playing outside with her family in all seasons.

Sara D. Whittle has worked in the higher education and non-profit sector for more than a decade. Her experience includes time in federal grants working with low-income, first-generation, and at-risk students doing everything from program design and administration to college course instruction. In her current role, she identifies, cultivates, and solicits annual planned givers and provides philanthropic resources to MCF’s nonprofit fund holders. Sara holds a B.A. and M.A. in Communication (with a concentration in Education) from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. Sara finds joy in quality moments with her two daughters, engaging in home projects in Billings, and exploring the outdoors through hiking and running in our beautiful state.