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April is Financial Literacy Month! When I think about financial literacy, I picture budgets, bank accounts, maybe a stockbroker on Wall Street. But really, financial literacy is the set of skills needed to handle money wisely, invest effectively, and plan for a comfortable future. I’d propose that those skills start with something a little more personal: knowing yourself.
Working with The DeBruce Foundation, I’ve seen firsthand how understanding the way you think and what comes naturally to you can shape so many of the decisions you make around your career and finances. That’s where the Agilities© framework comes in. Through it, you can discover strengths like Judging and Estimating—an Agility rooted in evaluating options and thinking critically. That’s why tools like the Income Estimator and the Occupation Explorer are so powerful, helping people connect their strengths with where they might want to go.
Once you start to understand your unique combination of Agilities, you’re not just learning about yourself, you’re building the foundation for a stronger financial future. That is financial literacy.
The Graduation Toolkit is here!
Know a soon-to-be graduate? Share The Graduation Toolkit with them as they prepare for life after graduation. The Toolkit helps graduates explore their next steps with confidence through online tools that build self-awareness, enhance career knowledge, and support them in planning for what comes next.
Features include the Agile Work Profiler©, Career Explorer Tools©, Income Estimator, Resume Builder, and networking resources. The Toolkit was created for any students who are uncertain, curious, or ready to plan their careers today! Head here to take a look, and share with your network.
Meeting employer AI needs with Miami Tech Works
“As artificial intelligence accelerates across every sector, how do we prepare entry-level talent to succeed?”
Miami Tech Works is addressing this through its EPIC Innovation Challenge, a paid, project-based program connecting students with real AI, automation, and data projects from local employers.
Central to this effort is a partnership with The DeBruce Foundation, using the Agile Work Profiler to measure how students develop workplace skills, confidence, and adaptability through hands-on experience.
Together, this approach helps ensure Miami’s talent pipeline evolves in step with employer demand and rapid digital transformation.
Reimagining student success on Empowering Careers
In Episode 8 of the Empowering Careers podcast, Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight speaks with David Law, superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools and president of AASA, about his 30+ years in public education.
From classroom teacher to national leadership, he reflects on lessons learned through failing forward, closing opportunity gaps, and rethinking what workforce readiness means today. They also explore how experiential learning and strong community partnerships help students build real-world skills. The conversation highlights why David remains optimistic about students’ ability to lead, adapt, and succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Listen now on DeBruce.org and all major podcast platforms
Ramanda Hicks honored by Lift Her Up
Ramanda Hicks, Operations and Partnerships Liaison with The DeBruce Foundation, was recently honored by the Lift Her Up Movement. At The Foundation, she advances the mission through outreach, strategic partnerships, and program support, driving meaningful impact behind the scenes.
Ramanda is the author of Peaces and Little Peaces and is celebrated for her poetry, prose, and storytelling, as well as her work as the owner of Ram in the Bush Media LLC and co‑founder of Be a Bridge & Elevate.
Created to strengthen collaboration between suburban and urban schools, the Lift Her Up Movement recognizes women making meaningful contributions across the Greater Kansas City area.
Learn more here!
Timing the tools in the Graduation Toolkit
DeBruce Career Corps members play a vital role in testing The Foundation’s tools, giving feedback, and improving them for their peers! For example, students helped determine which tools are included in the Graduation Toolkit and even helped design the webpage!
This year, the Graduation Toolkit includes a new feature to help reduce barriers for graduates getting started: estimated completion times for each tool. To get it right, DeBruce Career Corps members tested every resource and provided time estimates. This approach aligns with research which shows people use time expectations to judge effort and decide whether to begin a task (Buehler, Griffin, & Ross, 1994).
Learn more about how youth in your network can help support and build tools with The DeBruce Foundation here.
Professional development that sticks
At The DeBruce Foundation, our mission is to expand pathways to economic growth and opportunity.
Agilities Coach Training plays a vital role in this mission by equipping educators, nonprofit leaders, and workforce professionals with the tools to help individuals discover their strengths and connect them to meaningful, sustainable careers.
In our latest blog, Christina Hocker, Partner and Integration Training Specialist, shares how Agilities Coach Training combines hands-on learning with ongoing support, empowering participants to apply what they learn and create lasting, real-world impact in their schools, organizations, and communities.
Read the blog and explore upcoming training opportunities
Are you looking for resources to build career pathways in your classroom, curriculum, or organization? Register now to explore our career tools!
Educators:
Access free resources and asynchronous training here
Virtual Agilities Tours:
May 5, May 19, June 2, June 30
Virtual Introduction to Agilities K-12 Resources for Educators:
May 20, June 17, July 15
In-Person Agilities Coach Training:
June 4-5, July 16-17 (Kansas City, MO)
August 18-19 (New Castle, IN)
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