Willowbrook launches new future-focused series to inspire students to ‘Dream. Plan. Do. – From the Halls to the Hustle’

On Aug. 19, Willowbrook was thrilled to launch a new future-focused event called "Dream. Plan. Do. – From the Halls to the Hustle."

This new speaker series, coordinated by Director of Student Career Development Iridia Nevarez, will feature monthly presentations from professionals, who were once students walking the halls of high school – just like current Willowbrook pupils – and are now making their mark in a wide range of careers.

Each speaker will share his or her personal story: from their early dreams, to the plans they made, to the hustle it took to get where they are today. The purpose of sharing these real-world journeys is to help students explore diverse career paths, learn from authentic experiences and feel empowered to chart their own course – whether that’s college, military service or jumping into the workforce. The goal is to have classes that are directly connected to the featured speaker’s profession, or students who have indicated interest in that specific field, attend that respective session.

The presenters who met with students on Aug. 19 are Fitness Entrepreneur/Business Owner Anthony D’Astice (Willowbrook alumnus) and Lieutenant Eduardo Castillo (Willowbrook alumnus). To read more about the presenters, go to http://www.dupage88.net/WBCareerPresentationsAugust2025.

The "Dream. Plan. Do. – From the Halls to the Hustle" series is part of the district’s focus to foster strong community and business partnerships to provide opportunities for students. District 88 offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes credentialed career-based curricular tracks, more than 30 Advanced Placement college-level courses and more than 50 dual-credit and collegiate-credit courses in 18 career pathway areas, along with award-winning fine arts programming. The district is committed to providing multiple and flexible pathways for students to find post-secondary success and continues to expand access to college credits and industry-recognized certifications to help ensure students are college and career ready.

District 88 is always looking to develop more collaborations, and those who are interested can find information at www.dupage88.net/BusinessPartnerships.