ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Rising ninth-graders in Orangeburg County will have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College through the Orangeburg Advanced College Program.
"My original plan was to go to the high school for health professions, but I saw the Orangeburg Advance College," said Emily Crider, Edisto High School student. "I thought this was a much cooler opportunity."
"The courses I've taken before, I was able to tackle those challenges, and I hope I can do the same in this program," said Melvin Hart, HKT High School student.
"This program is one step closer for me to become the cosmetic chemist that I want to become," said Riley Glenn, Orangeburg Wilkinson High School student.
"It's a four-year commitment," said Stephanie Alford, Orangeburg Advance College's program coordinator. "The thing that differentiates this from dual enrollment is that they can start in the ninth grade. They will be taking college courses with high school courses. In the end, they will have a two-year degree in associates of arts or sciences."
The program is a new partnership between the school district and the technical college. More than 20 students have been selected for the first session when school starts in August.
"You build the foundation for them academically and socially, said Alford. "They're also exposed to the college world. Exposure for them at that age is huge."
The students will start their day at their respected high schools, then come to OC Tech to take two courses per semester.
At the end of their high school tenure, they will have the opportunity to receive an associate's degree at the same time when they walk across the stage. Glenn believes the program will help her become a businesswoman in her hometown of Orangeburg.
"Advance college is going to help me do that because it's teaching me college skills," said Glenn. "These are skills that people get until they're older, which I'll be getting while I'm in high school."