As graduating high school seniors across the country prepare to take their next steps toward a meaningful career, students in Kalamazoo County Early/Middle College (EMC), a part of Kalamazoo RESA’s Career & Technical Education efforts, are already ahead of the game. After completing the program this May, 81 remarkable students are preparing to either head back to college, or joining the workforce directly.

EMC allows students to earn an associate degree or industry-recognized certificate, with little or no cost, by completing a fifth year of high school. During the 2019-20 school year, the program supported 178 students who were enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) and Kellogg Community College (KCC).

“I am so proud of the EMC Class of 2020!” beamed Lisa Bartell, Early/Middle College program coordinator. “Our students have overcome some difficult circumstances in the last few months with all of their college coursework moving online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They adjusted, worked through the technology challenges and figured out what was required for success in their courses. Despite it all, they pushed through to the finish line to complete the EMC program.”

As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual EMC Celebration ceremony for the class of 2020 was regrettably canceled. This year especially, it is important to acknowledge this momentous accomplishment - all EMC students have been recognized in an EMC Celebration video on the Kalamazoo RESA Career & Technical Education Facebook page.

Grace Dexter of Parchment High School will attend KVCC to continue her education in dental hygiene. “The biggest thing I will remember from this program is how helpful and willing everyone was who was involved. It truly made things much easier and more enjoyable for me,” she said. “It's an experience I didn't plan on having, but I sure am glad that I did!”

Gull Lake High School grad Riley Smith will continue to attend KVCC as he studies chemical engineering. “This program has allowed me to get a large sum of college credits for very little money. It also allows the student a nice guided step from high school to college. I know that my brother is planning on taking advantage of the program as well,” he explained.

“I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things this group will accomplish in their next steps,” said Bartell.

For more information about the Kalamazoo County Early/Middle College program, visit www.kresa.org/emc.

 

Congratulations, Early/Middle College Class of 2020:

Climax-Scotts High School

Bridget Bleeker

Cecelia Bleeker

Alex VanMiddlesworth

 

Comstock High School

Lily Hall

Alex Hemenway

Wyatt Jernstadt

Ceyth Jones

 

Galesburg-Augusta High School

Brooke Miller

Qwinlynn Fleckenstein

 

Gull Lake High School

Dakota Barnes

Lindsey Bennet

Joel Blackburn

Bryce Brooks

Robert Carlton

Tony Clark

Andrew Curtis

Isaac Dudash

Tyler Ford

Jade Gowan

Kayla Gowan

Ava Green

Emily Grimes

Mitchell Johnson

Nicholas Johnson

Vanessa Kamsickas

Emma Kellam

Madeline Koneska

Nathan Krawczyk

Gabriel Kwekel

Chloe Leitch

Andrew Lueck

Hunter Macomber

Tyler Mahoney

Jessica McMillan

Kaci Metcalf

DeNaya Mosley

Zoey Michalak

Jennie Mueller

John Porter

Rachel Randall

Andrew Reid

Gabriel Scott

Jesse Sellers

Jacob Shoup

Michael Shumaker

Riley Smith

Mackenzie Stemburgh

Trianna Thurston

Daniel Tucker

Carley Wyman

Nicholas Yonker

 

Kalamazoo Central High School

Nick Weston

 

Loy Norrix High School

Aaron Golliher

Acacia Ferris Harper

Yazmin Hunt

Antonia Kistler Ellis

Ella Klute

Giselle Martinez

Mia May

 

Parchment High School

Natalie Baker

Grace Dexter

Lucas Rock

 

Schoolcraft High School

Max Blodgett

Riley Carpenter

Amanda DeBlecourt

Jenna Faulk

Ryan Faulk

Clayton Gerow

Brady Gillaspie

Lily Hendershot

James Kelecava III

Drake Matheny

Dean Morris

Corinne Mullens

Hope Spencer

 

Vicksburg High School

Lucas Cannizzaro

Ashlyn Girolami