CEO's Letter to Students

K-12 students from all over the state think about the future in very different ways. For some, college or career pathways feel familiar and within reach. For others, those possibilities can feel distant, uncertain, expensive, or difficult to navigate. Questions about belonging, finances, identity, stability, and what success is supposed to look like are real, and students carry those questions every day.

We show up for you, even in the rooms you’re not in.

The University of Michigan Center for Educational Outreach (CEO) is here to connect you with people, programs, and opportunities that can make college feel more within reach. But our work doesn’t stop there.

Across Michigan, we bring schools, universities, communities, and state leaders together to break down barriers, build stronger connections, and push for an educational system that works better for students. You may not see every room we’re in, but we’re in those rooms with students like you in mind every day.

Students are not all moving toward the same future, and CEO reflects that. Some students already know exactly what they want to do. Others are still figuring it out. Most are somewhere in between. CEO helps students explore paths into and through higher education in ways that feel more personal, understandable, and within reach.

Sometimes that starts with a campus visit, a conversation with a mentor, or hearing someone speak honestly about setbacks and uncertainty. A single experience can shift what a student imagines for themselves because it is hard to pursue a future you have never had the chance to see. A place that once felt out of reach can begin to carry a spark of: “This could be me.”

These moments build momentum.

Access is not one experience or one moment of exposure. Students need support that continues over time. They need people who answer questions honestly, help them work through uncertainty, and remind them that they are capable of moving forward. Through mentorship, advising, academic support, leadership opportunities, and real-world experiences, students build confidence step by step. They keep moving.

The goal is not to direct every student toward the same destination. CEO believes there is no single route to success because success looks different for every student. Some students may pursue four-year universities. Others may begin at community colleges, enter the workforce, pursue technical education, or follow paths shaped by their own goals and circumstances.

This is why CEO focuses on paths, not pipelines.

Pipelines move in one direction. Paths allow room for change, growth, and discovery. They recognize that students are evolving, learning, and defining success for themselves in different ways and at different times. That means creating opportunities not only to prepare for college, but also to explore careers, build skills, connect with employers and industries, and understand the many ways education can lead to meaningful work across Michigan.

Along those paths, connection often helps students keep moving.

A mentor who listens. A teacher who encourages a student to take a chance on themselves. An adviser who makes the next step feel manageable. A peer who makes a new environment feel welcoming instead of intimidating.

These relationships matter because who students meet can change what they believe is possible.

CEO helps create those connections across students, families, educators, schools, communities, and the broader University of Michigan network. Rather than replacing the support already surrounding students, CEO strengthens it by connecting people, resources, and experiences in ways that build momentum.

That looks different across Michigan because Michigan itself is not one story. Urban, rural, and suburban students have different experiences, resources, challenges, and expectations around education and opportunity.

At the same time, we bring together the people and organizations around them, including educators, school leaders, community partners, state officials, and funders, to strengthen the connections, resources, and opportunities that shape their educational journeys.

Every conversation, campus visit, mentorship experience, and partnership can help move a student from uncertainty toward direction, from isolation toward connection, and from limitation toward possibility.

And at the heart of it all is a simple feeling CEO hopes every student walks away with:
I belong here. I can do this.

And our work is to make sure the people and systems around them say the same thing back to them.