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The basics:

• Record 367 NJ vo-tech students earned associate degrees this year
• Students graduated with college degrees before high school diplomas
• Partnerships with community colleges reduce college costs, time
• Graduates are headed to universities including Penn State, Vanderbilt

Aubrey White was told that “just passing” in school was an achievement. She would not accept that goal despite facing the challenges that come with having dyslexia. This year, she is graduating high school from Sussex County Technical School after already earning an associate degree from Sussex County Community College.

“Graduating with two degrees is my way of proving to my younger self and anyone else facing a learning disability that anything is possible,” White said.

A drive to succeed is what unites the record 367 students this year who earned an associate degree before graduating from their county vocational-technical high school.

“Having the opportunity to earn an associate degree in high school has put me two years ahead and opens me up to taking advantage of even more opportunities in college, including getting an early start on research,” White emphasized.

White will apply the credits she has already earned to Penn State, where she will enter with junior status. She plans to study materials engineering and build on the education she received in the engineering program at Sussex County Technical School.

A jumpstart on goals

“This is what our county vocational-technical schools do so well; they provide opportunities for students to get a jumpstart on their college and career goals,” said Jack Swain, superintendent of Salem County Vocational Technical School District and president of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools. “Students’ end goals may vary, but they come to us ready to focus on their futures. Ideally, their futures involve working right here in New Jersey.”

Within Swain’s district, Olivia Faulhaber is one of 14 students to earn an associate degree from Salem County Community College before graduating from Salem County Career and Technical High School. Similar to White, Faulhaber is looking forward to jumping right into her major of early childhood education with about two years’ worth of credits accepted by Rowan University, where she will continue her studies in the fall.

“It means a lot to me to keep moving forward in the education field,” said Faulhaber. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, and being in high school with a daycare onsite has further motivated me to keep working toward my goal.”

“I am impressed by Olivia and our many students who share this same trajectory of identifying a career goal and taking every opportunity to prepare and get in a position to succeed,” said Salem Tech Principal Jason Helder. “That’s why our vocational-technical schools are so valuable. We give students choices to connect their learning to their career goals and ultimately save them time, money and other resources along the way.”

More options

Yeheira Acosta said having more choices to challenge herself academically is exactly what drove her to apply to Cumberland County Technical Education Center. Four years later, she is completing the CCTEC information technology program after already earning an associate degree in computer science from Rowan College of South Jersey.

“My dad learned about the opportunity to earn an associate degree when he attended a parent session,” Acosta explained. “At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it, because my parents didn’t go to college. I talked to my counselor, who presented the steps to earning the degree, and I went for it.”

Acosta said her success inspired her sister, Yachell, to follow in her footsteps as an engineering student at CCTEC, also pursuing an associate degree while in high school. And, as she worked toward her dual degrees, her father enrolled in an online degree program to study cybersecurity, too.

Throughout the experience, she developed the self-discipline needed to take on increasingly challenging coursework. She’ll rely on the habits she developed when she attends Vanderbilt University in the fall, where she will major in computer science.

“I’m so happy with all the decisions I’ve made so far to get me to this point,” Acosta said.

With a dream of using her degree to help startups and improve experiences in sports, Acosta already is a budding tech entrepreneur. She currently works as a freelance web designer and website manager for smaller organizations and even helps her church with its website.

Get involved

Learn more about partnerships between New Jersey’s county vocational-technical schools and colleges and universities that help students focus their learning, earn credits, gain new experiences and shorten the runway between the classroom and the workforce. Visit: careertechnj.org/college-and-university-partners

Such partnerships help make it possible for a growing number of county vocational-technical school students to earn college credits while enrolled in their chosen high school career program.

Of the 367 students graduating from a county vocational-technical school this month with an associate degree:

• 74 are from Bergen County Technical School District
• 60 from Cumberland County Technical Education Center
• 51 are from Ocean County Vocational Technical School
• 35 from Hudson County Schools of Technology
• 31 from Camden County Technical Schools
• 26 from Somerset County Vocational and Technical Schools
• 23 from Essex County Schools of Technology
• 17 from Gloucester County Institute of Technology
• 17 from Morris County Vocational School District
• 14 from Salem County Vocational Technical School District
• 11 from Middlesex County Magnet Schools
• five from Mercer County Technical Schools
• three from Sussex County Technical School

Jackie Burke is executive director of the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools. Interested in becoming a business partner of a county vocational-technical school? Visit careertechnj.org/business-partners-of-the-year.