TPZ Enriches Lawrence High School’s Career-Connected Learning Opportunities

Lawrence High School students are exploring in-demand careers through real-world learning opportunities as one of its newest nonprofit partners – The Possible Zone – delivers a school-day Health Assisting course and hands-on afterschool programming in collaboration with institutions such as Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience Simulation Lab and Incompass Human Services.

Much of the world outside of high school is project-based, tech-infused, collaborative, and fast-changing; The Possible Zone’s (TPZ) collaboration with Lawrence High (LHS) ensures that health-field-focused school offerings are, too. Embedding durable competency development and practical experiences into course design and delivery, TPZ further strengthens school-based experiences with its relationship-rich ecosystem that empowers students to gain the skills, credentials, and confidence to step into in-demand careers and shape the futures they imagine.

“This interconnected, comprehensive program aligns with my vision that every student graduates with evidence of future-ready skills and mindsets they’ve cultivated, a network that knows and values them, and a clear bridge to postsecondary pathways and careers that advance economic mobility,” said LHS Principal Victor Caraballo-Anderson. “Partnering with The Possible Zone has introduced our high school students to healthcare pathways that can provide opportunities for career growth and security, along with needed service back to the communities through a culturally and linguistically aligned workforce.”

According to Ted Lombardi, TPZ Chief Expansion & Opportunity Officer, meeting both a school’s and community’s needs through dynamic learning experiences is how the nonprofit can help equip young people for successful futures. Students earn professional certification upon successfully completing the Health Assisting course. Those who take part in the afterschool experiential programming explore industry-specific skill-building while strengthening their networks and earning a stipend for their participation.

“High schools have shifted dramatically from a ‘college for all’ mindset to a focus on pathways—structured routes that help students earn college credits, build real skills, and connect their interests to future careers,” said Lombardi. “The Possible Zone’s goal is to extend opportunity beyond our Boston headquarters. By partnering with schools like Lawrence High, we can embed our expertise and modular programming, provide professional development, help build capacity, and create an approach that honors local assets and engenders ownership.”

TPZ’s innovative approach levels the playing field by bringing dynamic project-based, personalized, and STEAM-focused learning experiences to those for whom opportunities have been disproportionately scarce. Through its evidence-based methodologies and developmentally enriching relationships, high school students ignite their passions and develop the skills, mindsets, and networks needed to propel their futures.

When students solve real problems with professionals working in the field, they develop real-world skills valued by employers – durable skills such as curiosity and continuous learning, creative thinking and problem-solving. Lawrence High School and TPZ are expanding students’ interactions with industry professionals via fieldwork to local hospitals and clinics, authentic problem-solving with industry experts, and field exposure and engagement experiences. Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience Simulation Lab, for example, is actively involved in both TPZ’s school-based Health Assisting Program at LHS and a new career exploration LaunchLab being piloted in Boston.

“The Possible Zone and HMS MEDscience share deeply aligned missions and visions. By working in collaboration, we can more effectively address the achievement gap, the opportunity gap, and the inspiration gap, ultimately inspiring the next generation of diverse scientists,” said Julie Joyal, Founding Executive Director of HMS MEDscience. “At HMS MEDscience, we believe the most meaningful learning happens when students are immersed in authentic, real-world experiences. Using our lifelike mannequin, STAN, we bring science to life in ways that are immediate and impactful. Through hands-on, team-based learning, we use healthcare as the platform; TPZ students move beyond memorization and begin to see themselves as active participants in discovery and problem-solving. As we often say, “MEDscience brings science to life through real-world experience, we don’t just teach TPZ students what to think, we empower them to think like scientists, to be problem-solvers, and inspire them to be healthcare professionals and leaders.”

This year, 55 LHS students are enrolled in the school-day Health Assisting course and 48 in the afterschool LaunchLabs. By the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, LHS and TPZ project 80 and 120 students, respectively, will be actively engaged in these programs.

Career-Connected Programming:

The Health Assisting Course was developed by TPZ with consultants who have expertise in career and technical education (CTE) and health care, and in close consultation with industry partners, to look and feel very different from a traditional CTE class. Class instruction is competency-based, rooted in standards, and integrates TPZ’s signature competencies of continuous learning, communication, and problem solving. Students don’t sit through lectures; they engage in hands-on experiences and interact with industry professionals to demonstrate mastery of durable skills and technical competencies. Students began the program in September 2025; the first course in this program runs through the end of June 2026.

LaunchLabs are 10-week terms during which high school students cultivate future-ready skills through project-based learning in out-of-school time. Students select engaging “Labs” aligned with careers of the future, developing essential competencies and an entrepreneurial spirit while exploring their passions and building real-world expertise. This Spring term, LHS students are exploring Cardboard Architects, where they design and construct a playable game using cardboard engineering, 3D design and printing, and basic circuits – a program that introduces students to skills and career pathways in Advanced Manufacturing.

Lawrence High School is a community of learners fully committed to nurturing and developing the skills and talents of our students that will be necessary for college and career readiness in the 21st century. The faculty at Lawrence High School provides students with a safe and positive learning environment in which the needs of our diverse student population are met through a variety of learning opportunities. Students will graduate from Lawrence High School as responsible, self-directed, lifelong learners who have a clear vision for their future, and who demonstrate perseverance, courage and professionalism in the face of adversity and are socially and civically engaged members of their community.

The Possible Zone delivers on the promise of education. The youth development educational nonprofit advances learning through an expansive ecosystem where young people develop the skills, an entrepreneurial mindset, and networks needed to propel their futures. High school, industry, and higher education partners help deliver career-connected experiences that expand the traditional boundaries of education. As TPZ alumni achieve economic mobility, they fuel their local region’s economy and help advance the lives of others in their communities. During the 2026-2027 academic year, TPZ will also begin offering career-connected programming in Brockton High School and Lowell High School.