ERLANGER, Ky. – A new program in northern Kentucky aims to better prepare high school students for higher education, and two Lloyd Memorial High School sophomores, Kennedy Dries and Ashley Koenig, said they’re excited to take advantage.
“I’ve always kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do. But I don’t think the impact of how much that I had to do to get there really hit me until this year,” Dries said. “It’s kind of morbid, but I want to do it for a good reason. I want to pursue a career in mortuary science and funeral directing. And I would like to eventually earn my doctorate in mortuary science.”
Koenig, on the other hand, is interested in pursuing a career in architecture.
“I should probably be thinking of what I should do now. Because I’m two years away from graduating,” she said.
Fortunately for them, the Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District has a new partnership with Thomas More University, the Catholic liberal arts university of the Diocese of Covington. The university’s College Prep Program offers high school students the opportunity to avoid summer melt and prepares rising juniors and seniors for dual-credit courses and college.
“We know the great benefit of starting students early in the college process, and having them earn college credit while they’re doing so during the summers for rising seniors and juniors creates that benefit to ensure they’re off to a good start, and build that strong foundation they need for college,” said Thomas More University President Joseph Chillo.
Chillo said the dual-credit courses will help students build confidence and make connections before they hit a college campus. The credit is also transferable if students don’t end up going to Thomas More.
While Thomas More has relationships with other local school districts, this is the first one directly linking access from high school to the university.
“Even those students who might think that college is not attainable, this is a way to make a college education, at least the start of a college education, attainable and affordable,” Chillo said. “We want to try to retain these students, develop the skill sets that are going to embark and attract more employers to the area.”
Lloyd Memorial High School Principal Mike Key said the program will provide new opportunities for a lot of his students.
“We’ve got a lot of students who are first-generation college students, so this is an opportunity for them to get on a college campus, for them to get an expectation of what college work is, so they can be successful,” Key said. “The more credit students accumulate in high school, the better chance they have of completing their degree.”
Both Dries and Koenig said they’re grateful to have the resource available.
“It kind of feels like there’s a safety net under you, so you’re not just going into it blindly. And there’s a bunch of really good role models, and superiors here that have really helped us, and held our hand to guide us through this,” Dries said. “I think Lloyd has a very, very good support system compared to most schools.”
“We have more opportunities than what I’ve heard of people from the past,” Koenig said.
The Thomas More dual-credit program plans to collaborate with additional high schools in the region following this summer 2023 pilot.
