This special All In episode was recorded live at the National Council for Workforce Education’s annual conference in Norfolk, Virginia in October 2025 and features a dynamic community college student panel that set the stage for this gathering of college workforce leaders and those from partner organizations from around the country. Three standout students—Jasmine Canty of Tidewater Community College, April Langhorne of Virginia Peninsula Community College, and Evan Hernandez of the Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding—share their perspectives, insights and recommendations on important topics such as: stackable credentials, student financial supports, work-based learning, effective advising, flexible scheduling, and the value of recognizing prior learning. The student panel concludes with questions and answers from the conference attendees.

The episode follows with a short conversation with NCWE Executive Director Kate Kinder, who reflects on key themes from the conference, and discusses how NCWE elevates student voices alongside those of practitioners—and why that focus is essential in their collaborative work with colleges and partners nationwide.

In this episode host Marc Goldberg interviews Clatsop Community College graduate Emily Bates, Clatsop Community College president, Jarrod Hogue, and the Director, Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) at the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), Donna Lewelling.

Emily shares more about her experience as a returning student at the college including her active involvement in student government helping build community for other students while developing valuable leadership skills.

President Hogue reflects on Emily’s interview and elaborates on the critical role the college plays in a rural community supporting workforce and economic development and the value and benefit of strong employer partnerships in that work.

Director Lewelling discusses how Adult Basic Skills programs across Oregon community colleges ensure better access to pathways leading to good jobs and careers for more Oregonians through innovative career pathway programs like Integrated Education and Training (IET) and holistic student supports.

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.

In this episode host Marc Goldberg interviews Rogue Community College (RCC) and Southern Oregon University (SOU) graduate Jahna Thompson, Rogue Community College president, Dr. Randy Weber and Director, Postsecondary Success at The Ford Family Foundation, Denise Callahan.

Jahna emphasizes the value of strong faculty mentorship and advising from her student experience at both Rogue Community College and SOU with a unique lens of having taught in her field of study at both institutions as a faculty/professor over the past year. She elaborates on her academic journey that began taking GED prep classes at RCC and after completing her Bachelor's and Master's degrees, she is currently pursuing a PhD in Immunology & Infectious Disease at Washington State University.

President Weber reflects on Jahna’s interview and describes specific college efforts through responsive programming, student supports and community partnerships that have helped increase enrollment and improve retention and completion outcomes for students, including those who enter the college taking adult education courses.

Denise highlights the Foundation’s impactful postsecondary education work across Oregon, particularly in rural communities, through Foundation investments, scholarships and research. She describes how the Foundation's work supporting over 1000 postsecondary education students annually across Oregon through scholarships helps inform the organization's policy and research work and shares more on the recently released Oregon by the Numbers report by the Foundation that offers a detailed profile for each of Oregon’s 36 counties.

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.