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The Class of 2026 have turned their tassels, leaving behind their childhood years and setting their sights on the horizon. Some will head to college, others look to build their own business, and still more will begin to pursue their dreams of the future.

In this episode of Connect Canyons, we sit down with someone who walked a similar path and now has his sights set on the horizon, quite literally. TJ Newman is a Canyons alum who dreamed of being an engineer and eventually of a career supporting space exploration. Now, he supports the science experiments taking place onboard the International Space Station, turning his classroom skills into mission-ready work. He shares how teachers here at CSD helped open doors for him, how the arts helped him get where he is today, and his advice for anyone with dreams. We hear a little bit about his love for sci-fi movies and geek out on science experiments too.

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A Brighton High graduate is shining in the national spotlight as a star of the fourth season of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning unscripted series “Love on the Spectrum.”

Bengal Emma Miller, who earned her diploma in 2020, is one of the young adults on the autism spectrum who are filmed while navigating dating, relationships, and, well, love.

“My mom is a big Netflix show watcher, and she told me about ‘Love on the Spectrum,’” Miller said during a recent episode of Connect Canyons. “Then we watched it and my mom’s like, ‘Emma, if they knew about you, they would have you.’ And then, surprise, foreshadowing.”

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There’s a quiet revolution happening at Alta High School—and it starts with 20 minutes of silence.

Not the awkward kind. The good kind. The kind where teenagers are flipping pages, lost in books they chose themselves.

If that sounds improbable, even a little magical, you’re not alone.

“Sometimes I’ll look up and think… wait, they’re all reading?” said English teacher Peggy DeVeny. “And then I don’t say anything because I don’t want to ruin it.”

Like many educators across the country, DeVeny was seeing a troubling trend: students disengaging from reading. Assigning whole-class novels—once a staple—wasn’t landing the way it used to.

So, a few years ago, she tried something different. Instead of telling every student what to read, she gave them a structured choice.

The results were immediate—and surprising.