Self Discovery with Nick Gross

04/04/23 • 27 min

Nick Gross, Founder of Find Your Grind, discusses how we can tap into student passions to encourage self-discovery and improve the education experience. In this episode, Nick shares how an early talent and passion for a career in music led him to found Find Your Grind, a Gen Z focused learning and self discovery platform that seeks to provide students with the tools and confidence to be future ready. By using a lifestyle-first approach, Find Your Grind helps students figure out who they are and where they want to go by turning the tables on traditional career planning. Through curriculum that changes the conversation around career exploration by asking students about the kind of life they want to live and then guiding them to create it, Find Your Grind focuses on social emotional learning and student agency, and challenges students through inquiry and reflection. In this conversation, Nick discusses the importance of adaptability, project-based learning, and self-discovery, saying:

“I think self-discovery is honestly the most important piece of anything in learning, like having that confidence and that identity of the things you value, the interests you have, the inherent strengths you have and talents that you carry...” - Nick Gross

About Our Guest

Nick Gross is the Founder and Chairman of Gross Labs, a multi-dimensional entertainment and media holding company and the active CEO of Find Your Grind, a Gen Z focused learning and self discovery platform. In 2019, Find Your Grind started hosting nation-wide speaking tours in high schools and major college campuses with partners that include Amazon, TikTok, Twitch and so much more. Most recently, Nick partnered with Tiger Woods to rebuild after-school facilities in Southern California that also use the Find Your Grind curriculum.

About Our Guest

Previous Episode

Professional Development with Elizabeth Bacon

Professional development for computer science education empowers teachers to learn the necessary skills to effectively teach computer science. In this episode, our guest Elizabeth Bacon, Director of Pedagogy at CoderZ, explores the complex world of professional development for CS education.

In this conversation, Elizabeth explains some of the strategies for developing effective professional development including relying on a balance of content and pedagogy. She discusses the importance of forging connections in community and the pros and cons of in-person versus online and on-demand professional development. For example, being in-person allows participants the chance to immerse themselves in a way that they’re not going to be able to do virtually. Furthermore, she discusses the importance of leveraging strengths and understanding the diversity of needs. In conclusion, Elizabeth shares her advice for developing professional development for computer science educators. She emphasizes the importance of using standards like the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)’s Standards for CS Teachers, reaching out to local communities, and identifying learning objectives.

“The coolest thing ever is programming. And, you know, what's even cooler than programming is showing other people how cool it is to program.” - Elizabeth Bacon

Recommended Resources from the Interview

Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher

Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing by Jane Margolis et al.

The Big Book of Computing Pedagogy by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)’s Standards for CS Teachers

CSTA Annual Conference

CSTA PD Opportunities

CSforALL

About Our Guest

Elizabeth Bacon is the Director of Pedagogy at CoderZ. Previously, she served as Curriculum Development Manager for Code.org’s CS Discoveries course. A former classroom teacher and school administrator, she has designed computer science courses for students from 5 to 18 years old and developed blended learning systems for students preparing to study in the United States. She is active in the computer science education community, volunteering directly with students in local schools and community centers, serving on advisory panels for computer science pathways in Seattle area school districts, and presenting workshops on various topics around teaching and learning computer science.

Next Episode

Data Privacy with Jen Langdon

Data privacy is the process of protecting data from unauthorized access or use and can help protect against cyber-attacks, data theft, and other malicious activities. In this episode, Jen Langdon, Education Program Coordinator at the National Cryptologic Foundation, discusses the topic of data privacy and how to introduce this concept to students. Jen describes how a passion for educating others led her to a career in teaching and how she became fascinated with cybersecurity through a podcast. In her current role at the National Cryptologic Foundation, Jen hosts the #CyberChats Podcast which features conversations with industry professionals in the fields of cyber security, information security, and technology and focuses on providing practical advice and sharing stories from experts in the field in order to help listeners understand and apply their knowledge to the ever-evolving world of cyber security.

In this conversation, Jen also dives into the strategies that bad actors and social engineers can use and the importance of empowering students to know what to do next if they experience a cyber attack. Jen describes how you can use games and authentic conversations to teach cybersecurity concepts like data privacy. For example, the cybersecurity-themed game Amanita Whitehat and the Curious Case of the Compromised Computers is based on the booklet included in the NCF’s Outsmart Cyberthreats Collection and uses real-world scenarios to help others and fight against cyber attacks. Ultimately, Jen encourages listeners wanting to get started in data privacy education to educate themselves on the variety of topics by listening to a podcast, playing a cybersecurity-themed game, taking a class in computer security and penetration testing, and attending a cyber conference.

Recommended Resources from the Interview

#CyberChats Podcast: https://cryptologicfoundation.org/students/cyberchats/podcast/

Amanita Computer Game (Original): https://cryptologicfoundation.org/students/games/original-game.html

Amanita Computer Game Sequel (Currently in Beta): https://cryptologicfoundation.org/students/games/amanita-whithat-mayhem-at-mallory-middle-game-2.html

"Outsmart Cyberthreats" Collection: https://cryptologicfoundation.org/educators/outsmart-cyberthreats-collection.html

Security BSides Conferences: http://www.securitybsides.com/w/page/12194156/FrontPage

About Our Guest

Jen Langdon is a former 6-year middle school science teacher with a Master’s of Arts in Curriculum and Educational Technology. While listening to a podcast, she heard about cybersecurity and decided to pursue an Associate’s degree in Information Assurance. Now, she works for the National Cryptologic Foundation and hosts the #CyberChats Podcast to spread data and cyber career awareness to youth.