Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates

08/27/2026

💙 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭

We're celebrating  Community School District AND the incredible workforce and community partners who helped make last school year one filled with opportunities for Atlantic iJAG students!

Throughout the year, students explored careers, developed leadership and communication skills, participated in community service, created projects for the  Area Chamber of Commerce, and learned directly from local professionals.

Hands-on experiences introduced students to careers in engineering, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other skilled trades, while guest speakers and partners helped students connect what they're learning today with what's possible for their futures.

We also celebrated students taking their next steps—including one student beginning her nursing journey while working full-time as a CNA, along with students pursuing military service, postsecondary education, and careers.

Thank you to Atlantic Community School District and every employer, guest speaker, educator, family, and community partner who invested in these students.

𝑰𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕!

Special Thanks to:
Gini Jordan from the School Board
Iowa National Guard 
ABC of Iowa 
Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company 
Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI)

08/25/2026

💙 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐚!

“My why as an iJAG Specialist is simple: 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.”

That's the heart behind Rhoda's work with her students.

She knows that before a student can talk about goals, careers, or life after high school, they may first need something even more important: a trusted adult who will listen without judgment and believe in them.

Rhoda works to make her iJAG classroom a place where students feel safe, valued, heard, and supported. They don't have to have everything figured out. They can ask questions, make mistakes, discover their strengths, and begin imagining a future they may not have believed was possible.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.

Whether students are considering college, a career, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, military service, or something they haven't discovered yet, Rhoda is there to help them explore what's possible.

Her support doesn't end at graduation, either.

“𝑂𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝐽𝐴𝐺 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦, 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠, 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔.”

Rhoda, thank you for being that person in your students' corner. 👏

08/25/2026

🏆 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧! 🏆

Please join us in celebrating 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧, recipient of the 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝!

This national award highlights individuals whose leadership creates meaningful opportunities for JAG students to explore careers with confidence while strengthening connections between education, employers, and the community.

As Sarah transitions from her role as iJAG Board Chair, we are proud to recognize and thank her for the countless hours she has dedicated to iJAG and the students we serve.

Sarah's impact extends far beyond her board leadership. She has volunteered in iJAG classrooms and attended Legislative Days as well as Career and Leadership Development Conferences at both the state and national level. As Board Chair, she faithfully led monthly board meetings and provided thoughtful leadership during a time of continued growth and impact for iJAG.

She has also been a passionate advocate for our mission, engaging legislators, championing funding and program priorities, and sharing the iJAG story wherever she goes. Her leadership has strengthened our organization, expanded opportunities for students, and helped build lasting partnerships across Iowa.

“It has been an honor to work with iJAG for the last 13 years, and I look forward to more years with iJAG ahead. iJAG fully lives its vision: to empower Iowa’s youth to succeed, thrive, and become future-ready leaders. iJAG transforms lives through social, emotional, academic, and work-based learning as well as through community service and civic engagement,” said Sarah. “Thanks to iJAG, their students will be the business, civic, and community leaders of the future who will stay in Iowa and help our economy grow in key sectors including healthcare, technology, finance, and more.”

Sarah, thank you for being an extraordinary champion for iJAG and for your unwavering commitment to helping Iowa students discover their potential and prepare for successful futures.

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏! 💙

Learn more about our award recipients: iJAG.org/recognition-at-back-to-school-summit

08/24/2026

💙 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!

iJAG Development Officer Danielle McMahon recently spent time with the Greater Ames Area Chapter of SHRM Iowa, sharing more about iJAG and the many ways HR professionals and employers can help prepare students for their futures.

Whether it's speaking in an iJAG classroom, conducting mock interviews, hosting a workplace tour or job shadow, providing internships or mentorship, or participating in one of our statewide events, these experiences give students something incredibly valuable: 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.

Those connections can build confidence, introduce new career possibilities, and help students better understand what employers are looking for.

Thank you to the Greater Ames Area Chapter of SHRM for investing your time in iJAG and Iowa's future workforce. We can't wait to see where these connections lead!

𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕!

Kruck Plumbing and Heating Ag Leader Technology Iowa State University Boone County, Iowa Hills Community

08/23/2026

🌟 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐀𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧

Ayden's plans for his future have changed in a BIG way. 💙

When he first began thinking about life after high school, Ayden believed his options were limited. Through iJAG, he had opportunities to explore careers, discover his strengths, and start thinking differently about what his future could look like.

Now, Ayden plans to attend Iowa Western and take classes in information technology, preparing for a career in IT.

And that's not his only goal! Ayden has an entrepreneurial idea to eventually start his own mobile IT business—using a van to travel to customers and help repair computers and other technology. 💻 🚐

Ayden, we're proud to see you dreaming bigger, building a plan, and recognizing just how much you're capable of achieving!

Keep going! 🌟

08/22/2026

🗓️ 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕!

The date is set for the 𝐢𝐉𝐀𝐆 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 in 2027!

CDC brings together iJAG students in grades 11–12 with employers, educators, and community partners for a day focused on exploring careers, building professional skills, and making meaningful connections.

Through workshops, career fair experiences, and networking opportunities, students get the chance to learn directly from professionals and discover pathways they may want to pursue after high school.

And employers? We need you, too! Your time, experience, and encouragement can help a student see what's possible for their future.

Mark your calendars, stay tuned for details & learn more at:

CREATING A FUTURE-READY GENERATION Career Development Conference (CDC) March 9, 2027 – Iowa Events Center, Des Moines Iowa During the State Career Development Conference (CDC), students in grades 11-12 will participate in a full day of career discovery and professional development with employer-le...

08/22/2026

💡 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰?

What does “nonprofit” actually mean?

It doesn't mean an organization can't make money. Nonprofits can earn revenue, receive grants, accept donations, and build partnerships.

The difference is what happens to those dollars. Instead of profits going to owners or shareholders, they're reinvested into the organization's mission.

At iJAG, that means your support helps create opportunities for Iowa students—from career exploration and leadership development to employer experiences, community service, College Success, and individualized support.

💙 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭—𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨.

Did you already know the difference between a nonprofit and a for-profit organization? Tell us in the comments!

08/21/2026

🤗 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐢𝐉𝐀𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘!

Because of your generosity, our 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐇𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 was a success, with over 25,000 products collected & distributed.

Every item donated will help ensure iJAG students have access to essential products when they need them—removing one more barrier so they can focus on learning, growing, and preparing for their futures.

A special thanks to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Molina Healthcare, Community State Bank, Mutual of Omaha, and everyone who donated, shared our posts, and helped spread the word: 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

This is what it looks like when a community comes together for 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝑁𝑜 𝑀𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡! 💙

08/20/2026

💙 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞

What happens when a school and community come together around students? Opportunities grow!

During the 2025–2026 school year, Clarksville iJAG students explored careers, built leadership and professional skills, served their community, attended state and national events, and prepared for what comes after high school.

We also celebrated early graduates Savannah Pierce and Weston Kroeze and watched students like Shaynah Ledtje and Capri Clark continue to challenge themselves and grow. 🙌

Thank you to Clarksville CSD and the many employers, organizations, public servants, families, and community members who invested in these students throughout the year.

Every experience opens another door—and together, you’re helping Clarksville students build bright futures. ⭐️