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

On Sept. 16, Willowbrook hosted its second “Dream. Plan. Do. – From the Halls to the Hustle” event.

This new, future-focused speaker series is coordinated by District 88 Director of Student Career Development Iridia Nevarez. It features 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 variety of careers.

The speakers share their 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 entering the workforce. The goal is to have classes that are directly connected to each speaker’s profession, or students who have indicated interest in that specific field, attend that respective session.

On Sept. 16, Willowbrook alumna Isabelle Rizo (class of 2011) met with students. Rizo (pictured above) is a medical art therapist, who helps patients in hospitals use creativity to cope with illness, express hard emotions and find strength during some of life’s most difficult moments. To read more about Rizo, go to www.dupage88.net/WBCareerPresentationsSeptember2025.

The “Dream. Plan. Do. – From the Halls to the Hustle” series is part of District 88’s focus to foster strong community and business partnerships to provide opportunities for students. The district offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes credentialed career-based curricular tracks, more than 30 Advanced Placement (AP) 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.