(Secaucus, NJ––June 19, 2020) Eleven High Tech seniors who completed a dual-enrollment program were conferred the degree of Associates of Science in Environmental Studies from Hudson County Community College (HCCC) at a virtual ceremony on June 17th, 2020, announced Dr. Joseph A. Giammarella, Principal at High Tech High School.
The degree ceremony marks the culmination of four years of study for these Environmental Science and Sustainability Academy students, who coupled college-level coursework in their high school classes with after-school courses from HCCC to earn the requisite credits to graduate. They are the first class of HTHS graduates to complete high school with an Associates degree. The dual-enrollment program was engineered by the collective work of Dr. Chris Conzen, Executive Director of HCCC’s Secaucus Center, HTHS supervisor Samantha Doria, and HTHS instructors (who are also HCCC adjunct professors) Dr. Shelly Witham, Ms. Cathy Yuhas, and Mr. William Goold.
The graduates of the inaugural dual-enrollment program at HTHS are: Olivia Cartagena (of Jersey City), Kennedy Christiana (of Secaucus), Nancy Do (of Jersey City) , Alejandra Figueroa (of Bayonne), Sean Fuehrer (of Jersey City), Gabriel Goya (of Bayonne), Elena Gurczeski (of Jersey City), Evelyn Martinez (of Jersey City), Mellina Perez Vieta (of North Bergen), Rachel Stern (of Guttenberg), and Doran Traineau (of Bayonne).
Dr. Conzen, who worked with students to ensure their success, admired the graduates, saying: “You are so much more driven than I ever could have been when I was in high school, balancing not only your normal high school load (which is already advanced) but also college courses AND still being as involved in extracurricular activities like you all were.”
He added, “you've made a significant investment in yourselves, not only in gaining credits you can apply to your future degrees, but also in the expansion of your minds and knowledge as you take courses students aren't traditionally a part of as high school students.”
Supervisor of the Environmental Science and Sustainability Academy, Ms. Samantha Doria, added, “This group worked extremely hard for all four years and put their trust in myself and my colleagues to lead them to the finish line. We could not be happier for you all, and know you will do incredible things in life.”
The students who have earned their A.S. degree will now have the potential benefit of finishing college more quickly, thus enabling them to pursue post-graduate studies or enter the workplace sooner.
Article on news site: Tap Into Bayonne:
11 Hudson County Students Simultaneously Earn High School Diplomas and College Degrees
