Why awareness matters: Understanding and closing the exposure gap for today’s students

Disrupt Education x YouScience Podcast Series — Episode 1 Recap

Most students don’t lack ambition for their future—they lack awareness of career paths. In Episode 1 of the YouScience + Disrupt Education series, hosts Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl sit down with work-based learning educator and specialist Jason Van Nus to unpack one of the biggest barriers in education today: the exposure gap.

It’s the disconnect between what students could excel in and what they’ve ever been exposed to. As Jason puts it:

“Students can’t be interested in what they’ve never been exposed to.”

This episode makes one thing clear: if we want students to be connected and ready for what’s next, we must help them see both the possibilities around them and the strengths within them. That’s where aptitude-driven guidance changes everything.

Key takeaways from Episode 1

• The exposure gap is real—and far deeper than lack of interest.
• Aptitudes reveal strengths students never knew they had.
• Wrong enrollment is often the first visible symptom of the exposure gap.
• Educators want to personalize but can’t without data.
• Communities grow stronger when students see viable careers close to home.

The exposure gap: a barrier created by lack of visibility

Jason breaks the exposure gap down with clear, practical insight:

“A kid might have the exact aptitudes for engineering, but if no one in their family is an engineer—and their community doesn’t have an engineering footprint—how would they ever know that’s even an option?”

It’s not just about whether students have heard of certain careers. It’s whether anyone has ever helped them see how their natural abilities connect to paths they never considered. Without that connection, students often adopt inaccurate beliefs about what they’re capable of.

Jason shares how a single negative middle school experience shaped his own journey. One teacher convinced him he “wasn’t good at math,” and he carried that belief into adulthood. Only after taking YouScience did he discover that his aptitudes actually aligned with engineering—a field built on the very math skills he once believed he lacked.

That’s the exposure gap in action—and why aptitude awareness is so critical.

How exposure gaps appear in the classroom

One of the strongest insights from the episode is this:

“When the exposure gap shows up in your classroom, it means the student is in the wrong class.”

Students often land in courses not because they’re a good fit, but because they didn’t know what else existed or didn’t realize what matched their strengths. When that happens, the effects are immediate:

• disengagement
• behavior issues
• poor performance
• loss of confidence
• frustration for both students and teachers

These aren’t motivation problems—they’re placement problems.

YouScience changes that by giving teachers clear insight into how students think, process information, communicate, and stay engaged. With aptitude data, teachers can adjust seating, instruction, and support strategies in ways that align with a student’s natural cognitive style rather than working against it.

It’s a shift from guessing to understanding—and from reacting to challenges to preventing them.

Aptitudes in action: how one student became Georgia Power’s first-ever 17-year-old hire

One standout story from the episode shows how aptitude data can change a student’s entire trajectory.

When a fleet mechanic internship opened at Georgia Power, Jason needed to decide which students were strong enough candidates to recommend. One engineering student talked constantly about cars but had never taken automotive classes—normally a barrier for such a competitive employer.

Using YouScience changed everything.

“I checked his YouScience aptitudes. They were tools-related, trades-related… they were dead-on. And that’s the only reason I moved forward. Without that data, I never would have put him in front of Georgia Power.”

The data validated both interest and natural ability. With that confidence, Jason advocated for him—and the student became the first 17-year-old Georgia Power ever hired for that program.

Exposure closed the gap. Aptitudes unlocked opportunity.

Why YouScience works when nothing else does

A major theme in the episode is the authenticity behind Jason’s advocacy. He emphasizes that he is not connected to YouScience professionally—his perspective comes entirely from its impact on students:

“I’m not on their payroll. I’m a practitioner. But that’s the thing… they don’t care. They care about my input because I’m a practitioner who uses their product.”

He expands on why he champions the platform:

“I’m not championing YouScience because they’re paying me. I’m championing it because it’s producing results and nothing else has in my program.”

Jason also notes that he’s explored other tools and has been approached by competitors:

“I’ve seen the competition. I’ve seen it. They want me to… to… they want me to champion their program and I’m like no.”

And he explains why:

“It’s masterfully efficient. It’s unparalleled. It doesn’t exist in any other software.”

Taken together, these statements reflect exactly what Jason shared: YouScience stands apart because it works, because it listens to practitioners, and because it is designed to put students first in a way he hasn’t seen anywhere else. Its leadership cares deeply about students, prioritizes outcomes over transactions, and embraces a level of humanity that is rare in edtech—and that’s why educators trust it so deeply.

Exposure strengthens communities

Exposure doesn’t just shape a student’s personal path. It shapes the economic future of entire communities.

Jason captures this connection clearly:

“If you are developing students to leave your community you are funding the competition.”

He explains that when students aren’t exposed to high-demand local careers—or don’t realize their aptitudes fit those industries—they often leave for opportunities elsewhere. When they leave, so does the workforce pipeline communities invested in. That impacts local businesses, job growth, housing, tax dollars, and long-term economic stability.

Exposure gives communities a way to:

• grow their own talent
• strengthen local pipelines
• retain skilled workers
• keep tax dollars and spending power local
• foster sustainable economic growth

When students see a future in their hometown—and see they are naturally wired for that future—everybody wins.

This is where readiness begins

Episode 1 sets the foundation for the entire series:

• Exposure leads to understanding.
• Understanding leads to agency.
• Agency leads to readiness.
• Readiness leads to lifelong success.

And all of it starts with helping students see who they are and what they’re capable of—before they ever choose a class, pathway, major, or career.

What’s next

Episode 2 explores how to connect learning with purpose—and how educators, employers, and communities can work together to support students from middle school through life.

Stay tuned. This conversation is just getting started.

Listen to the full Episode here:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/CnVLt_DsbnM?si=bFmQIRSHiXIjcQww 

Disrupt Education Page: https://disrupteducationpodcast.com/ 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0nsTYu6wCKyryUO3D65Z1V?si=74975df7991845b3 

Explore the YouScience × Disrupt Education podcast page:

https://www.youscience.com/disrupteducation-podcast/