There is no single definition of success.

The destination may differ, but every path begins with a strong academic foundation.

That sounds simple. But our schools don’t always reflect it. The student headed to a traditional four year university gets a clear roadmap: honors classes, AP courses, college counselors, and a well-worn path the institution knows how to support.

What about everyone else? The student who wants to build things. The one who wants to perform. The one who wants to cook, design, repair, create, or care for others. The one who doesn’t yet know what they want but needs room to find out. These students deserve an equally clear roadmap and exposure to classes that open their mind.

Whether a student becomes an electrician, an engineer, an entrepreneur, an artist, a nurse, or a teacher, reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving remain essential. Every path requires strong academic preparation. None of them is an alternative to it.

My goal is to make sure every path is visible, supported, and genuinely valued, not treated as a backup plan for students who didn’t make it onto the traditional college track. Every path is a first choice. It should be treated like one.

Every path is a first choice. It should be treated like one.

The Academic Path

Brighton’s academic programs are a point of pride and rightly so. Rigorous coursework, strong graduation rates, and college placement numbers that rank among the best in Michigan reflect decades of community investment and excellent teaching.

This foundation is the baseline every other path built upon. My commitment is to make sure academic excellence remains accessible to every student, not just those who arrive already prepared for it. That means early intervention when students fall behind, support structures that catch struggling learners before small gaps become large ones, and a culture that believes every student is capable of growth, while never losing sight of the students ready to be pushed further and faster.

High standards matter. So does the support to meet them. Both, together, all the time.

The Vocational and Trades Path

Some of the most in-demand and well-compensated careers in today’s economy don’t require a four year degree. They require skill, discipline, and training that our schools can provide.

As a backstage volunteer with Brighton’s theatrical productions I have watched students discover what they are capable of with their hands. Building sets, running sound and lighting, sewing costumes, and solving problems under pressure with opening night approaching are real skills. Those same instincts translate directly into construction, electrical, plumbing, automotive, manufacturing, culinary arts, cosmetology, and healthcare support.

Modern trades careers increasingly demand real technical literacy, mathematics, communication, and digital skills. Vocational education is not an alternative to academics. It is academics, applied. Brighton Area Schools should build clear pathways into skilled trades through partnerships with local employers, apprenticeship opportunities, and hands-on learning that gives students a head start in a career they can be proud of.

Working with your hands is not a consolation prize. It is a calling. And it deserves to be treated like one.

The Arts and Creative Path

The arts are not an extracurricular. For many students they are the curriculum: the place where everything clicks, where identity forms, where confidence is built one rehearsal, one canvas, one performance at a time.

Brighton’s performing arts programs are genuinely exceptional. The Brighton Musical alone draws sold-out audiences from across Livingston County. Behind that spectacle are students who have grown from nervous freshmen into confident leaders, developing discipline and resilience that no standardized test can measure.

But “the arts” at Brighton need to mean more than the stage. Visual arts, graphic design, digital media, and photography all deserve the same respect where artistic instinct becomes a viable career. Even STEM is its own creative path combining the technical with the vision to push what is possible. A student who pursues the arts is not avoiding a serious future. They are building one.

The Path Not Yet Known

Education is not about the destination, but the journey. Not knowing where the path leads is not a problem to solve. It is the beauty of embracing learning and discovery.

When my son Tyler was at Hilton Elementary, you could find him on any ballfield or in any gym in the district. All he wanted to be when he grew up was Justin Verlander. We weren’t a theater family. We didn’t know we were about to become one.

It wasn’t until choir class with Mrs. Shourds at Maltby Intermediate, and the on-stage opportunities with Mr. Johnson at the high school that followed, that Tyler found his true passion. Not baseball. Performance. That discovery has led him to college in Los Angeles, where he is growing his skills and building a career path that is genuinely his.

Mrs. Shourds didn’t just teach choir. She opened a door Tyler didn’t know existed.

Brighton Area Schools should be full of those doors. Students need a wide range of high-quality academic, artistic, technical, and career experiences early and often, not held behind a locked door until junior or senior year, by which point many have already lost the chance to discover an interest that could have shaped their whole path. The more opportunities students experience, the more likely they are to discover where they belong.

A set construction class that reveals a passion for building. A culinary elective that plants the seed of a restaurant. A Band or Orchestra class that expands the mind to find the beauty in patterns all around us.  A school paper that uncovers a gift for storytelling. Discovery requires opportunity, and opportunity isn’t only a line item in a budget. It’s a counseling office that listens, a teacher willing to suggest a class a student hadn’t considered, and a schedule with room to explore.

My commitment is to make sure Brighton students have room to explore, and that when they find their path, the school is ready to help them walk it.

Every Student. Every Path. Every Future.