Build a weekly planning system that keeps school, activities and PALP on track.
Learn to spot misinformation and weak reasoning, and explain the evidence behind your decisions.
Research careers, talk with a professional and build a résumé you can tailor to each opportunity.
Finish the year with Community Impact Project evidence, mock interview practice, at least one scholarship application and a plan for 11th Grade.

Why 10th Grade Has Its Own PALP Path.

PALP takes study skills, time management and critical thinking outside the classroom: real deadlines, checking information, handling conflict, exploring careers and building money skills.

NVEEE students working through an interactive leadership activity

NVEEE students working through a hands-on activity, the kind of practice you build on in 10th Grade.

What You'll Work On This Year.

Your year runs in three seasons. Each one produces real work you can show, not just discussion.

Fall

Build the Base and Start Doing Real Work

Build a weekly planning system that fits your real schedule.

Go deeper in one activity instead of spreading yourself thin.

Compare sources and spot misinformation.

Research and confirm a real problem for your Community Impact Project.

Take on a real Give Miami Day campaign role.

Record what you did and what changed because of it.

Winter

Increase Independence and Opportunity Readiness

Balance school, PALP and activities in a time-management challenge.

Research what people in different careers actually do.

Interview a professional about their career.

Practice handling conflict, setting boundaries and making relationship decisions.

Build a résumé you can tailor honestly.

Build early money skills and connect your money decisions to growing independence.

Spring

Apply, Demonstrate and Prepare for What Comes Next

Complete a critical-thinking challenge.

Take a nonpartisan civic action on an issue you researched.

Shop on a budget and learn basic food, laundry and car-safety skills.

Apply for a summer job, program or volunteer role.

Complete a mock interview, get feedback and try again.

Finish your Community Impact Project and plan for 11th Grade.

NVEEE students in a study-skills and key-concepts workshop

A study-skills workshop, the kind of session behind your 10th Grade time-management and reading work.

Life Skills You'll Practice.

College readiness is more than applications. You also build everyday skills that make independence easier.

Managing your own workload & deadlines Reading & information literacy Conflict communication Budgeting & price comparison Food safety & basic cooking Laundry & clothing care Car-safety basics Professional outreach & follow-up Misinformation detection

What You'll Have by the End of the Year.

By June, you'll be able to show:

✓A weekly planning system that works for you

✓Evidence of your source checking and critical thinking

✓Your career research

✓An updated record of your activities and achievements

✓A professional résumé

✓A professional outreach email and follow-up

✓A completed budget and life-skills challenge

✓Your Community Impact Project contribution

✓Mock interview feedback and your improved second attempt

✓At least one scholarship, grant, award or funded-program application

✓A plan for summer and 11th Grade

Scholarships, Awards & Opportunities at This Grade.

Start now, not senior year. You learn to find opportunities that fit you, confirm the rules and apply for at least one scholarship, grant, award or funded opportunity this year.

Scholarships Awards Competitions Youth Grants / Seed Funding Summer Programs Internships / Jobs Leadership Programs

Leadership programs for sophomores. Some programs, such as HOBY youth leadership seminars, are built around sophomore year and often require a nomination through your school.

Early scholarships and recognition. You search by grade, location, interests and eligibility instead of waiting until 12th Grade.

Summer jobs and programs. You start using your résumé and professional emails to pursue jobs, leadership programs, service and enrichment.

Project-based recognition. Your verified Community Impact Project, research, communications or service work can support PALP recognition and future applications.

Eligibility, dates and amounts change, and no opportunity is guaranteed.

NVEEE students with a mentor after a group leadership session

Students with a mentor after a group session, the kind of professional conversation you practice in 10th Grade.

Your Leadership Path.

You can earn the Peace Ambassador title and, once you've shown you're reliable, compete for leadership roles. Selection is based on your work, not your grade.

Start here

PALP Member

Every registered student.

Earned

Peace Ambassador

Meet the October to December standards.

Considered, not guaranteed

Student Leadership Team / Workstream Lead

After you show you're reliable.

Later years

Leadership Fellow · Junior Counselor in Training

For returning students.

Student Leadership Roles You May Be Considered For

PALP Student Chair

Operations & Accountability Lead

Communications & Digital Media Lead

Outreach & Recruitment Lead

Fundraising & Partnerships Lead

Community Impact & Service Lead

Learning, Research & Innovation Lead

Project / Workstream Lead

You can express interest or be invited based on your strengths, but no role is automatic. Only real deliverables, verified by a supervisor, with real dates, can go on your résumé.

Your Community Impact Project Role.

You take on more responsibility for research, planning, carrying out the work and solving problems. You should be able to explain your evidence, spot what isn't working, help improve it and separate your own contribution from the team's.

PROBLEM

VALIDATE

PLAN

ACT

MEASURE

IMPROVE

PRESENT / DEFEND

How the NVEEE Empowerment & Success Hub Supports You.

Between sessions, you use the Hub for lessons, templates, trackers and tools connected to your current work. For 10th Grade, that includes:

Planning tools Source-checking tools Résumé builder Community Impact Project tools

The Questions PALP Helps You Answer.

PALP teaches you to ask better questions, find trustworthy answers and make decisions you can explain.

Am I taking the right classes for junior year?

You learn to research prerequisites, course difficulty and your goals before you meet with your counselor, so that conversation goes further.

Should I move into AP, AICE, Honors or Dual Enrollment next year?

You learn to compare challenge, readiness, workload and goals instead of assuming the most advanced option is automatically best.

How do I know whether a career actually fits me?

You research what people really do, the preparation required and the work environment, then compare that with your own interests and strengths.

Do I need a résumé if I have never had a job?

Yes. A high school résumé can include projects, service, leadership, activities and responsibilities, not just jobs. PALP shows you how to build one truthfully.

How do I get leadership experience when nobody has given me a title?

Leadership starts with responsibility, initiative, reliability and results. Titles can come later.

What should I do this summer that will actually matter?

You learn to judge summer jobs, programs and volunteer roles by fit and what you'll learn, not by how impressive they sound.

Are there scholarships and programs specifically for sophomores?

Yes. Some opportunities open before junior or senior year, and PALP shows you how to search by grade and eligibility.

Can PALP Help Me Find Money for an Idea or Project?

You learn to turn a community problem into a believable plan and what funders look for: proof of need, a realistic plan, a budget and a way to show results. PALP helps you apply when something fits.

Project funding is never guaranteed.

Your Grade-Specific Digital Toolkit.

Here are examples of the spreadsheets, trackers, templates and guides you can download from the NVEEE Empowerment & Success Hub in 10th Grade.

10th Grade Toolkit	What It Helps You Do
Weekly Planning / Time-Management System	Manage school, PALP, activities and personal responsibilities.
Critical Thinking & Media Literacy Tracker	Compare sources and document why information is or is not credible.
Career Exploration Tracker	Compare careers by actual work, preparation and fit.
Résumé Builder + Accomplishment Statements	Move from a list of activities to evidence of responsibility and results.
Summer Opportunity Tracker	Organize jobs, programs, service and enrichment opportunities.
Interview Practice Rubric	See exactly what to improve after a mock interview.
Budget / Consumer Decision Tool	Practice price comparison and limited-resource decisions.
Community Impact Project Project Tracker	Manage tasks, evidence, deadlines and individual contribution.

Your PALP Year Adds Up.

CORE+ REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES+ COMMUNITY IMPACT PROJECT+ CAMPAIGNS+ LEADERSHIP= VERIFIED SERVICE & EXPERIENCE

You can earn 45+ service hours, depending on your activities. Project work, campaigns and leadership roles can add more, based on what you complete and document.

NVEEE students together on a college campus, where four years of PALP can lead.

Grow With PALP Through Graduation.

If you joined in 9th Grade, 10th Grade asks more of you: owning parts of a project, supporting newer students or leading outreach and research.

9th Grade

Find Your Footing

10th Grade · You Are Here

Build Your Skills

11th Grade

Step Into Leadership

12th Grade

Lead & Launch

Start with us now. Imagine how much you'll have to show by graduation.

Every returning student takes on more leadership responsibility. Named roles, such as Student Leadership Team positions, Leadership Fellow, Junior Counselor in Training and Junior Counselor, are still earned.

Have Questions?

Every PALP question and answer now lives on one page, organized by topic.

Getting Started Questions See All FAQs

9th Grade → 11th Grade → 12th Grade → PALP Overview →

Make 10th Grade Count.

Build the skills, experience and habits that make 11th Grade easier.

Grade 10 Leadership, Career & College Readiness | PALP

Build Independence, Stronger Skills and a Record That Shows What You Can Do.