Spartanburg Community College Offers High School Dropouts a Second Chance Through Gateway to College Program
August 4, 2010
SPARTANBURG, SC – August 4 2010 – Spartanburg Community College continues to provide a second chance to high school dropouts and students at risk of dropping out through Gateway to College – a national dropout recovery program.
“It changed my life,“ said Lindsay Steadman, an SCC graduate who successfully completed SCC’s first dropout recovery program called College Learning Institute for Navigating Knowledge (LINK), which the Gateway to College program will replace this fall. Steadman dropped out of high school her junior year. Four years later she was trying to figure out her future when she ran into her high school guidance counselor who told her about the Gateway program. “I had no idea how to get back into school, or what steps to take, or even if I could do it,” said Steadman. “The Gateway program opened up the door to college for me.” Steadman completed the Associate of Arts degree at SCC in May and has enrolled in classes this fall to complete an Associate of Science degree. Then she plans to transfer to a four-year college next year.
Gateway to College is designed for young adults ages 16 to 20 that have dropped out of or are at very high risk of dropping out of high school. Students must meet specific criteria for entrance into the program and will be dually enrolled with their sponsoring high school and SCC, allowing them to earn college credits while completing their high school diploma. The program is slated to serve up to 300 students during its first three years of operation.
“Research has shown that adults with a high school diploma or GED have far greater earning capabilities than those who did not complete high school,” said Eugenia A. Hooker, program director, SCC Gateway to College. “This program allows SCC to provide a critical service to young adults that will better prepare them for continuing their education beyond high school and for successful careers in the workplace.”
Igor Bogoslov, a Boiling Springs resident currently in the Gateway to College program, never went to high school. After junior high, Bogoslov was home schooled and immediately went to work. He never received his diploma and thought about out trying for his GED. “I knew I needed to go to college but I didn’t think I could do it,” said Bogoslov. Then his brother, an SCC student, brought him a brochure on the Gateway to College program. Bogoslov started the program in fall of 2009. “It’s a great opportunity for any student who has dropped out to finish high school and get college credits at the same time. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this.” Bogoslov plans to complete an associate degree at SCC and then major in biochemistry or biology at a university and eventually attend medical school.
In the Gateway program, each student receives a detailed, individualized academic plan and ongoing support from a resource specialist who serves as coach, mentor and advisor. During the students’ first term, they take classes exclusively with other Gateway to College students, including a “college survival and success” course that focuses on study habits, time management, test-taking strategies and other techniques critical to succeeding in college. After the first semester, students are mainstreamed into courses with the other SCC students. After graduation from the program, students have the opportunity to continue in higher education to achieve a college degree.
Nationally, Gateway to College graduates earn an average of 46 college semester credit hours (73 quarter credit hours) as well as their high school diploma – which means the students, on average, are more than two-thirds of the way to earning a college degree after completing the Gateway program.
SCC began the Gateway to College program in fall of 2009 with a $300,000 start-up grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation and funding from the seven Spartanburg County School Districts. The Gateway to College National Network is part of the Early College High School Initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The SCC Gateway to College program is now accepting applicants for the fall 2010 semester, beginning August 16. An information session will be held on Monday, August 9 on SCC’s central campus in the Ledbetter Building, room 253. Reservations are required to attend – call 864-592-4267 or 864-592-4263.
About Spartanburg Community College.
SCC offers over 80 academic programs of study including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates plus University Transfer opportunities to four-year universities. SCC provides flexible class scheduling including online classes through SCCOnline, FlexStart classes, evening classes and more. SCC currently serves more than 4,700 students through the college’s credit classes and more than 15,000 students in non-credit classes through SCC’s Corporate and Community Education Division. To learn more, visit www.sccsc.edu.
