High School Students Get Jumpstart on College
According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median earnings for bachelor’s degree recipients are 86 percent higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma. That is why Ƶ has been partnering with public schools across the state to build an accessible bridge from high school to college.
Currently, Ƶ offers pre-college opportunities through the Early Enrollment Program, the Anchor 2 Success Program, the PrepareRI Internship Program and a new dual enrollment program at the Mount Pleasant Early College and Career Academy.
New Dual Enrollment Program Launches at Mount Pleasant High School
When Wobberson Torchan, an alumnus of Ƶ, took over as Mount Pleasant High School principal in 2023, he says he noticed a bored look on the faces of some of the more than 1,100 students.
“As I walked the halls, I saw very smart students sitting in class and not putting forth much effort because they already knew the coursework with their eyes closed,” says Torchan ’94. “I knew we needed to get them in more rigorous courses that were worth their time.”
That marked the launch of the Mount Pleasant Early College and Career Academy. Among the academy’s offerings is a dual enrollment program in partnership with Ƶ. The pilot began last fall with a cohort of 23 Mount Pleasant High School seniors who spent part of their school day earning college credit in a psychology course at Ƶ.
Ƶ President Jack Warner calls the collaboration with Mount Pleasant High School “a good beginning.”
“We would like to deepen the connection with Mount Pleasant High School by extending this program to more students and by offering more courses going forward,” he says.
Warner enlisted Ƶ Director of Academic Operations and Policies Lexi Rogel ’15 and Director of Strategic Initiatives Cheréva McMillan to coordinate with Mount Pleasant High School to establish the pilot.
“I want these high school students to know that they’re a part of Ƶ,” Rogel says, noting that these students also have access to wraparound services at Ƶ such as academic counseling and tutorial services.
“If we can create that sense of belonging before their freshman year, I consider that a win,” she says.
To qualify for the program, participants must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.2, meet standardized test benchmarks for English language arts and be in attendance for 90 percent of the school year. Additionally, they are interviewed by Mount Pleasant High School teachers and submit essays outlining why they want to be a part of this program.
“We also interact with their families so they know what to expect now that their child is not only a high school student but a college student,” McClellan says. “So far, there’s a lot of great energy around making this pilot a success.”
For 17-year-old Mount Pleasant senior Bruni Bright, this duel enrollment program is a step closer to her future career.
“Luckily, the course we’re starting with is psychology,” she says. “I want to become a therapist.”
How does she think college will differ from high school?
“I heard you can’t turn in papers late in college,” she says with a smile. “Everything seems more structured. But I’ve been learning time management in my advanced placement courses in high school. Being on campus will give me a better idea of what college life is like.”
Providence Public School District Superintendent Javier Montanéz M.Ed. ’03 says he’s excited about the collaborative partnership between Mount Pleasant High School and Ƶ.
“This allows Mount Pleasant students to be introduced to the college experience through Ƶ and see what is possible for their future,” he says. “There was a lot of intentional design and planning built in to ensure students would find an enriching academic experience.”
By the end of the academic year, this pilot will be reviewed and may extend to other high schools in Rhode Island.
“As much as I’d love to see every high school student have access to this program, we need to ensure we’re doing everything correctly first, with the students’ best interests in mind,” says Rogel.
Ƶ’s Early Enrollment Program: Four Decades of Success
Ƶ hopes that Mount Pleasant High School’s dual enrollment program will reach the heights of the college’s Early Enrollment Program (EEP). Since 1980, Ƶ has operated the second largest EEP in the Northeast, with more than 3,000 students participating from 53 public and private high schools in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. (The largest program in the Northeast is at the University of Connecticut.) EEP differs from Mount Pleasant High School’s dual enrollment program in in that students take college-level courses from qualified teachers at their high schools rather than on the Ƶ campus.
Some of EEP’s advantages include rigorous content in a high school environment, focus on critical thinking and writing skills, and financial benefits. Students can earn up to a full year of college credit in EEP and thereby save as much as a year’s college tuition, along with saving on the cost of college textbooks.
Additionally, about 90 percent of the courses taken in EEP count toward General Education requirements and some major and minor requirements.
West Warwick High School graduate Nilsa Tashjian earned eight credits before she enrolled at Ƶ.
“My EEP courses were a bit more challenging than my regular high school courses,” says Tashjian, now a sophomore majoring in data science. “I also think the projects we completed in my EEP economics and Spanish courses gave me real-world experience.”
Tashjian’s older brother, Charlie, a 2021 Ƶ graduate in nursing, was also an EEP student.
“My advice to any high school student is to seek out this program,” Nilsa Tashjian says. “Having these credits takes a lot of stress off of meeting Ƶ’s graduation requirement of 120 credits because you’ve already earned credits in high school.”
Christine Bonas, one of four EEP directors at Ƶ, stressed that this initiative helps alleviate the financial burden for families.
“EEP credits can be earned for free [at public schools in Rhode Island]. Once you’ve enrolled at Ƶ, if you’ve earned up to 60 credits by your junior year, you could qualify to receive the Hope Scholarship and attend school here for free,” Bonas says. “I believe that’s one of the best deals around.”
PrepareRI Internship Program Offers Business Experience and Academic Credit
For six weeks last summer, Ashley Murphy of Portsmouth High School and Eliza Saintilvert of The Greene School learned to cut deals as presidents of their own engineering companies.
The two 17-year-old high school juniors were among 30 students selected by PrepareRI in partnership with Electric Boat and Ƶ’s School of Business.
Divided into two groups, the interns’ simulated running a company and were tasked with creating gaskets for submarines at Electric Boat, mentored by Ƶ Associate Professor of Business Susan Weiss and Assistant Professor of Business Joyce Perry.
This is the second consecutive year the School of Business has partnered with the PrepareRI Internship Program and it has been a resounding success, they said.
“These kids are really bright,” says Perry, “and they come in with so many skills. Our role was to keep them on track.”
Along the way, they pick up tips on strategic planning, management and financial planning, says Weiss.
“They also learn about the profitability of a business and what goes into a break-even analysis,” she says. “It’s great to come up with a product, like the gasket, and then ask, ‘Is it viable?’”
Outside of coursework, the interns easily adapted to life on a college campus.
“We tried to give them a college experience by letting them have free reign,” says Perry. “Many of them had never been on a college campus before.”
Aside from it being a paid internship, the interns walked away with college credit and many lessons, which, they said, will inform their academic and professional futures.
“I’m a reserved type of person, but this internship pushed me out of my shell,” says Saintilvert, who is contemplating a nursing career. “That’s why I pursued it in the first place. I knew I’d have to do things I’m not used to, such as bring people together and guide them. I think I found my voice.”
Murphy, who wants to go into politics and plans to study international relations in college, says the internship taught her how to negotiate conflict and be versatile.
“That’s a good skill to have in any job, especially politics,” she says.
Read more about the PrepareRI program: “.”&Բ;
Early College Admittance Offered through Ƶ’s Anchor 2 Success Program
Like PrepareRI interns, many of the Central Falls High School participants in Ƶ’s Anchor 2 Success program have never been on a college campus.
“When they come and walk around our campus, they’re able to see racial and ethnic diversity among our deans, advisors, program coordinators and tour guides who look like them. It’s instant gratification for them to imagine themselves in those roles,” says Maya Suggs, Ƶ admission counselor and Anchor 2 Success coordinator.
Anchor 2 Success is an interinstitutional agreement between Ƶ and Central Falls High School wherein Ƶ will admit any Central Falls High School junior who throughout their past three years of high school has maintained a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a 90 percent attendance rate. Admittance is based on the condition that students maintain the minimum GPA and attendance rate throughout their senior year. In addition to automatic acceptance to Ƶ, the students’ Common Application, enrollment and housing deposit fees are waived.
Hiromi Flores, a 20-year-old political science major, was a part of the Anchor 2 Success program and is now a Ƶ sophomore. She was chosen to speak to the latest cohort of 57 Central Falls High School students in the Anchor 2 Success Program who visited Ƶ last semester.
Flores recalled how her guidance counselor at Central Falls High School approached her about the Anchor 2 Success Program because she had a 3.7 GPA, good attendance and was an athlete on the girls’ soccer team.
“My main message to other Central Falls students is that this is a great opportunity. It will open doors for you,” she says. “I urge them to continue to work hard, because at the end of the day, it will pay off.”
Flores also advises students to take advantage of the supports at Ƶ.
“There are plenty of services and resources here at Ƶ, but professors aren’t going to call your parents if you’re not doing your homework,” she says.
In the future, Anchor 2 Success may expand to include other high schools, such as schools in Pawtucket where there is a high need among marginalized communities and attendance is an issue.
“Sometimes all students need is one good reason to go to school,” says Suggs. “Our program reflects how deeply we care about the challenges for students in high school and jump to fill that need.”
Read more about the Anchor 2 Success program: “”