In early August, Diane Reese looked at the students around her as they explored the University of Louisville campus, and came to a realization: most of the students on that first 1028 & Me college tour hadn’t given much thought to attending college, mostly shaking it off as unattainable … until that day.

“They never thought it was an opportunity,” Reese said.

Reese, founder of 1028 & Me, said she is trying to help students understand college — or whatever their aspirations might be — is well within their reach, and all they need is support, a foundation and the confidence to pursue it.

1028 & Me is offering a life skills course in October to help with all of those things and more; everything 1028 & Me does, Reese said, is aimed at setting students up for success.

Reese said a well-rounded education should include the ability to calculate, write well and have a sense and understanding of the world at large. But the students who have not mastered necessary life skills — such as balancing a checkbook, writing a resume or knowing how to care for themselves — may graduate from school but not be able to matriculate, easily, into their next project: adulthood.

Reese said the life skills course will help ease all of those worries. The free five-week course is open to all high schoolers at George Rogers Clark High School or Phoenix Academy. They must preregister at 1028andme.com to participate. Classes will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday in October.

“We want to push them to want to do more, to want to have more,” Reese said.

Each participant who attends all five sessions will receive a certificate of completion.

The topics are:

— Resume writing, Oct. 1. Kim Schroeder will teach the course. Students can bring their laptops and write a resume during the class. The class will cover writing effective resumes that will highlight a student’s character, course schedule, after school activities and volunteer work to promote themselves in the community job force.

— Proper etiquette, Oct. 8. Karen Woods, a retired teacher from Clark County Public Schools, and Jayme Allen, a speech-language pathologist, will teach the course. This course will teach students what employers are looking for in regards to demeanor, appearance, conversation abilities and interaction skills.

— Finances, Oct. 15. John Austin, vice president, head of lending at WinFirst Bank, and Raymond Smith of Park Community Credit Union will teach the course. Students will learn about the importance of good credit, the difference between a bank and a credit union, opening a bank account, fees, money management, saving for the future, 401ks, IRAs and more.

— Interview skills, Oct. 22. Tasia Hooten, general manager at Hardee’s, and Jessica Fraley-Ireland, a patient care supervisor at Lexington Clinic, will teach the course. Students must come dressed for success as they will undergo mock interviews. Local business managers will conduct mock interviews to give students a true understanding of what a real interview will be like. Students will receive feedback and suggestions to improve their interview skills for future employment.

— College Ready, Oct. 29. Elizabeth Neill, student development specialist at Winchester-Clark County Bluegrass Community & Technical College campus, will teach the course. Students will learn how to decide where to attend college and what is required to get there. Students will also learn about FAFSA, ACT, SAT, financial aid, applications, college visits, community college options versus a four-year university and more.

The course completion ceremony will be at the end of the Oct. 29 session. Students will receive snacks and transportation home if needed during each session.

“These are just things that they need to know prior to going out of here,” Reese said. “These things here are very near and dear to me because these are the things I was not taught, not knowing that these are the things that I needed to be a success.”

Reese said the students could use the certificate of completion at an upcoming 1028 & Me job fair in April 2020. The job fair will feature local employers who employ teenagers so teens can find jobs for the summer.

“After that, 1028 & Me is going to guarantee them a ride to go get to work because I’m going to take them or if they don’t need to get to work and they need to go somewhere else, I will make sure they get there,” Reese said.

1028 & Me is a newly-formed nonprofit dedicated to providing the ninth through 12th-grade youth of Clark County life skills, job opportunities, college tours and summer transportation needed to be a successful contributing member of the community.

Reese recently received the bus for 1028 & Me through a donation from a man in Michigan who had heard about the organization through a family member in Winchester. In August, Reese and her family made the trip to Detroit to pick up the bus, which Reese said was in nearly perfect condition. The man had even painted the bus bright blue for Reese.

“I never even laid eyes on him, never seen him a day in my life, he just gave me an address and told me to come pick it up,” Reese said.

Reese, who is also a school bus driver for Clark County Public Schools, formed 1028 & Me following conversations with her students during which they relayed their dreams, fears and concerns about the future.

Reese said she listened to students talk about job opportunities they had missed because of unreliable transportation. She heard them talk about wanting to visit schools, but not being able to find a ride. And she listened to their worries about not being able to provide for themselves and their families.

Reese said the youth of Clark County want to be contributing members of the community, but they need the support.

Students that participate in after school jobs learn skills that are invaluable such as responsibility, work ethic and on-the-job skills that aren’t easy to teach in the classroom.

Having a job, Reese said, also helps teens in this technology-driven age learn valuable social skills they can only learn through face-to-face interaction. Students learn to manage their time, stick to a schedule and resolve issues.

Reese said students also learn to manage and save money to help them as they move on to whatever their plans might be after high school.

1028 & Me helps students find employment by offering the life skills course as well as provides transportation to and from the job as needed.

1028 & Me currently partners with Kentucky Petroleum, Hammerhead Signs, Central Bank, WinFirst Bank, GRC, A-Squared Productions, People’s Exchange Bank, Community Trust Bank and more. Reese said she also owes a special thanks to Kim Thacker, 1028 & Me market director, and Bruce Phillips, Clark County Public Schools transportation department mechanic manager.

Throughout the summer, 1028 & Me had about 15 rides around town and then took about 11 students on two college tours including the University of Louisville and Midway College.

Reese said 1028 & Me has plans to take students to Eastern Kentucky University and Bluegrass Community & Technical College.

Reese said one of the students involved with the program gained employment and is still currently employed.

Reese said she is always looking for partners and sponsors to assist in life skills training. She said monetary contributions for college tours, signing up to be a mentor for participating youth, participation in the job fair as an employer and spreading the word are other ways the community can help 1028 & Me.

Next year, Reese said 1028 & Me hopes to host a “Clark County’s Got Talent” show as a fundraiser, but the details are yet to be determined.

In the meantime, Reese said she hopes students register for the life skills course.

“It is important for students to have a proper life skills course so they’ll go out there and be successful, so they’ll have proper knowledge of what it is they need to succeed in life,” she said.