Two graduations this year for six high schoolers (who've earned associate degrees at Thomas College)
Courtesy/ Maranacook Community High School
Six Maranacook Community High School students will receive their associate degrees from Thomas College this week, a month before they graduate from high school. Pictured, from left, are Gabriel Jones, Hannah Woodford, Samantha Cloutier, Jillian Tripp, Hailey Campbell and Jilleon Farrell.
Six Maranacook Community High School students in Readfield will receive associate degrees from Thomas College this Saturday, a little more than four weeks before their high school graduation next month.
They'll take part in Thomas College's commencement ceremony in Waterville after taking approved college courses as high school juniors and seniors through a program known as Pathways. Many complete the program with a strong sense of pride and a determination to continue their studies, according to the college.
Hannah Woodford, one of this year's graduates who recalls a "lot of late nights and tears" amid a heavy course load, will start at Georgetown University this fall to study government and philosophy.
She hopes to later pursue a law degree.
Staying on track to graduate with her associate degree "has been sort of like running a marathon," she shared via email. "I'm not under the impression that the associate degree is in any way a measure of my intelligence, but rather of my willingness to endure. It symbolizes our perseverance and grit. That's what I'm most proud of."
Her classmates are Gabriel Jones, Samantha Cloutier, Jillian Tripp, Hailey Campbell and Jilleon Farrell.
Education 'a powerful transformation tool'
The Pathways program, open to juniors and seniors at Maranacook Community High School with a 3.0 grade point average, a demonstrated capacity for college work, and recommendations from a school guidance counselor, allows them to pursue their associate degree while completing requirements for their high school diploma.
Courses are delivered by instructors at the high school who meet Thomas College requirements for appointment as adjunct instructors, as well as online and in an intensive one-week summer format at the Thomas College campus.
Tom Edwards, provost of Thomas College, said that while Pathways has been around for several years, this year's class of six is among the largest.
He also oozes enthusiasm about how important education can be in changing young lives for the better.
"Any way we can provide access to education is a powerful tool for transformation for the individual student and the people all around them," he told Mainebiz by phone earlier this week.
Besides the ongoing Pathways partnership with Maranacook Community High School, Thomas College partners with high schools throughout the state through a dual enrollment program that also gives participants early access to college courses at no charge.
Keeping young talent in Maine
For those who study at Thomas College after high school, Edwards reports an increase in students pursuing three-year bachelor's programs.
That not only saves them a year of undergraduate tuition but also puts them on a faster track towards a postgraduate education.
"We're seeing 60% of those students electing to stay at Thomas College and get their master's," he said. Besides bolstering their job prospects and long-term earnings potential, he pointed to a wider economic development benefit.
"These students are going to stay in Maine and work in Maine," he noted. "Education is a key economic driver that impacts not only individual students, but also the region and state."
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