Thursday, October 15, 2020
Jacob Allender graduated from Waterford High School last spring—after graduating from Gateway Technical College with a welding diploma.
Not only did Jacob earn diplomas from high school and college in the same month, but he also landed a job in his career field in the middle of a pandemic and before he even took part in his college commencement ceremony, all in the double-double year of 2020.
Jacob earned his diploma through a Gateway high school welding academy, a dual enrollment program that provides high school students the training and education to earn their welding/maintenance and fabrication technical diploma and enter a welding career. He says he initially signed up for the academy because he likes to build things, but found out he really liked it once he started to weld.
“Really, just the thought of welding, of building, sparked my interest,” says Jacob. “As soon as I started welding, I fell in love with it.”
Jacob says the training he received was solid and helped him to obtain his welding position before he even graduated.
“The training helped me a lot,” says Jacob. “I became better and better at welding, and when I was done, I was prepared to go into my career.
“For me, this feels awesome. Not a lot of people can say they earned their high school and college diploma at the same time. It’s awesome that I already have a job in my career while people I know are still going to college. It’s pretty nice.”
Jacob’s mother, Michelle Allender, said the academy left a solid impression on Jacob and his future goals.
“For Jacob, this was a game-changer,” says Michelle. “He didn’t know anything about welding, but he connected with his instructors right away, he knew some of the students who were from his high school and he was able to do his work on a technical college campus. I can’t say enough on how well he has done with this.”
Jacob’s story underscores the value of dual enrollment to high school students exploring their options. In all, he earned 16 credits at Gateway while still in high school, saving him more than $3,600 in college tuition. More valuable, though, he discovered a career he loves and landed a job using his new skills.
—Lee Colony, Manager of Communications and Media Relations, Gateway Technical College