Angel Anderson, a Rich Central High School senior, regularly attends classes and participates in extracurricular activities.
But she also spends the first half of her school day taking college courses at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, getting a head start on the future of her education.
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Anderson is a participant in the STEM Academy, a partnership between Rich Township District 227 and Prairie State College that allows high school seniors in the district to take college-level courses for credit during the regular school year.
The program, also known as the Academy of Student Excellence in Science and Math: Bioscience Initiative, is in its fourth year of helping students considering math and science majors get a head start on college credit at no cost to themselves.
For Anderson, that means being able to adjust to the style of college courses before she heads off to the University of Illinois in Champaign next year.
“It saves money and you get your [general education] courses out of the way,” Anderson said.
She said that she wants to major in psychology, and that she has plans of going to medical school and starting a career in industrial organizational psychology.
“We are giving students in the Rich District an opportunity to take some college-level classes at the actual college that will apply towards their STEM majors,” said Sean Smith, academic advisor for the STEM Academy at Prairie State College. “We are providing them with two science courses, two math courses, and two general education courses for the year.”
That adds up to a maximum of 23 possible credit hours high school seniors can complete before even graduating from high school.
Those high school students are able to complete courses without paying for anything, including textbooks, registration fees, and transportation that are all provided by the college and District 227. Rich Central High is in Olympia Fields.
In a world where college tuition and college debt are a major issue for students, that benefit is enormous.
“For those students who are selected to be in the program, they’re actually in the program at no cost to them whatsoever,” Smith said.
The cost of tuition at Prairie State College is normally $143 per credit hour.
According to Smith, students from District 227 can apply for the program after completing their high school honors Algebra 2 class with an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ grade. Applicants then must submit high school transcripts, a recommendation letter from one of their math or science teachers, and write an essay on why they want to be involved in the program.
After that, applicants must take a test at Prairie State College to ensure they can handle college level math, reading, and writing.
The program is capped to accept up to 25 students each year, and 93 students have participated in the STEM Academy since its creation in 2012.
Of those 93 students, Smith said that the vast majority have gone off to four-year universities, though a handful have continued to attend Prairie State College.
The STEM Academy was started by Adenuga Atewologun, a former vice president of academic affairs for Prairie State College, Smith said.
According to Smith, Atewologun saw Prairie State College as an academy of science and math for the area and had plans to grow the program to include other high schools. Smith said though there are no longer the same plans to expand the program to other schools, the college intends to continue the program.
“We’re the only type of partnership like this in the area,” said Eric Hampton, public relations coordinator for District 227.
Hampton said that the STEM program was made possible by a five-year grant that Prairie State College sought. The grant funds the program entirely. It is currently covering the costs of all 25 students participating in the program this year, which is a little less than $7,000.
The grant was funded by U.S. Department of Education through the Predominantly Black Institutions Formula Grant Program.
Hampton said that the district and college had intentions of renewing the grant as the program goes into its fifth year.
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David Lipowski is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.