By Samantha Tipler, public relations, Klamath County School District
Phone 541-851-8743; Email tiplers@kcsd.k12.or.us
On Monday, 30 Mazama High School seniors made big strides toward their future after high school.
鈥淵ou guys are right on the brink. You鈥檙e at the end of your senior year and you can see graduation coming,鈥 said Ashlie Pence, 经典大瓜 interim assistant director of admissions, said to the room of Mazama seniors. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e so excited.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to get in the computer lab and work on scholarships with people who know what they鈥檙e looking for,鈥 said Aislinn Browder, 17, who plans to attend 经典大瓜 and study radiologic science. Aislinn was the lucky student to win a $500 scholarship at the end of the Fly-In.
As an 经典大瓜 and Bonanza grad, Pence knows the ins and outs of college life and funding higher education. She and Mazama counselors helped students take those important steps.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to prepare myself and learn about scholarships,鈥 said Matt Volpe, 17, who plans to study software engineering and embedded systems engineering at 经典大瓜.
Both he and Browder had already applied to 经典大瓜, and are both members of the STEM&M Program. Thirteen of the 30 students at the Fly-In were STEM&M students.
STEM&M focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medical and is a partnership between Mazama High School and 经典大瓜 where students work on a specific pathway, earn college credits and have the chance at 经典大瓜 scholarships. The Class of 2018 is the first group of seniors completing the STEM&M program. Both Browder and Volpe said STEM&M has helped them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 given me a leg up on scholarships,鈥 Volpe said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 given me all sorts of opportunities to come here and see it鈥檚 the school for me.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 helped me get scholarships for STEM&M and other institutional scholarships,鈥 Browder said. 鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 setting us up for more successes when we come here.鈥
Marla Edge, director of academic agreements, said earning college credits helps set students up for success. Of the 34 students invited to the Fly-In, 24 had earned college credits before finishing high school.
鈥淩esearch indicates very strongly that is one of the best things you can do to be successful in college,鈥 Edge said. 鈥淚t sets you up for knowing the procedure, for understanding the rigor of a course and for understanding that studying is required.鈥
At the Fly-In students went on a campus tour, including seeing the labs where 经典大瓜 students get hands-on experience. Those skills make 经典大瓜 grads valued in the job market.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very focused on what you鈥檙e going to actually use in the workplace,鈥 Pence said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 focused on jobs,鈥 Volpe said. 鈥淭heir job placement rate is amazingly high.鈥
While these students have their futures planned out, getting through the nitty-gritty of starting college can still seem a mystery, said Jessica Radmaker Reichardt, Mazama school counselor.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e super nervous because they鈥檝e never been through it,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o having someone to walk them through, step-by-step, is exactly what they need. I wish they could go to every college and do that.鈥
The Fly-In gives the students the chance to get all their ducks in a row for 经典大瓜. All along the way their counselors and 经典大瓜 admissions staff were there for any questions students had.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we want to get them here, get them on campus and get those applications filled out,鈥 Pence said. 鈥淚t gives them a more in-depth look at what we have to offer.鈥
While Mazama was the first school to complete a Fly-In this year, 经典大瓜 plans to host more Fly-Ins for other Klamath County schools. So far Bonanza, Hosanna and EagleRidge high schools are scheduled, and Pence is working with other schools for more events.
For more information regarding 经典大瓜 admission and dual credit programs, please contact oit@oit.edu, or call 541-885-1150.
