The class of 2018 will be the first group of students to graduate under the Foundation with Endorsement plan.

The Foundation with Endorsement plan was introduced after the Texas Legislature changed the Education Code and signed House Bill 5 in 2013. The plan allows students to follow the default graduation plan while taking courses in a specific area of study.

“The new graduation plan, Foundation with Endorsement, is similar to previous graduation plans, but it places an emphasis on career clusters,” counselor Sarah Kelly said. “Students are able to earn an endorsement in one or more of five fields (STEM, Business and Industry, Public Services, Arts and Humanities, and Multidisciplinary Studies), depending on their courses taken.”

According to Kelly, choosing an endorsement helps students “get a better understanding of career fields.”

“A student may develop more interest in their endorsement area and decide to continue that career path after high school, or they might find out that the path is not quite what they thought,” Kelly said. “Finding out what you do not want to do for a career is just as beneficial as finding out what you do want to do.”

According to senior Cody Ford, picking an endorsement plan also “sets you on a roadmap for success in the career that you want to follow.”

“After high school, I’m going to go to college and hopefully get my law degree,” Ford said. “I’m in principles of law right now, and it’s like a jumpstart for what I’ll be learning in college. I’m going to be ahead of the game, and I’ll already know the laws, how they’re written and why they’re written.”

Selecting an endorsement exposes students to multiple careers in a specific field by allowing students to learn about various work environments, education requirements and hours that must be invested into a certain job, according to senior Abrienna Gomez.

“I picked business because I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was a freshman,” Gomez said. “I learned a lot about money and different ways to understand finances and manage it. Even though I’m not going [to college for business], it was helpful for normal life.”

According to Kelly, www.Promise2Purpose.net offers many endorsement resources for students to utilize.

“Our Promise2Purpose website offers videos of student point of views, sample four-year plans, interest inventories and more,” Kelly said. “Teachers, classmates, parents and counselors are other great resources to use to talk about interests and career paths.”

Students who are unsure of what endorsement to pick or who are interested in multiple areas of study have the option of picking the Multidisciplinary Studies endorsement.

“Do not stress over choosing one specific endorsement,” Kelly said. “If you have a clear idea of what you want to pursue, go for it, but if you need to experience different classes to figure out what you want to do, you can do that. Use your resources when choosing future classes and endorsements.”