“Thank you for coming and presenting your ideas to the students of Hagerman. It was an awesome experience. I really liked the telephone analogies. I liked that you were able to expand on some famous people who they have looked up to. The students could really relate to your stories. I teach a group of 9th grade students. I would love to have you come and present to them. I feel they could really benefit from it also.”
Hagerman 8th and 9th Grade Teacher

“My students really enjoyed this experience (writing their application responses) and it was really cool to listen to them research and think about their future! I have not had students do this kind of thinking before and I definitely see the benefit of it! I hope we can do this again next year.”
Glenns Ferry 4/5th Grade Teacher

As a career educator in Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, and Colorado, I have always had a deep love and connection to rural schools and their communities. With their caring and dedicated faculty and school leadership, I have greatly admired their hometown friendliness, genuineness, industriousness, and humility. Yet, as often under-resourced communities they need assistance and support. I founded HDCC, which is modeled after a successful program in Maine called Maine College Circle, with the deliberate intention of helping support students to envision a brighter future that strengthens and enriches their communities. I firmly believe that promoting education beyond high school does not have to deplete the human capital in our towns. Armed with the proper essential skills and knowledge, it will allow graduates to assess the future needs of their communities, launch new industries and businesses to address those needs, and consequently strengthen and enrich Idaho’s rural communities.