Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A group of graduating seniors at a school in Roxbury got the surprise of a lifetime Friday.
The entire 2022 graduating class of the Dearborn STEM Academy was granted admission to the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology in Boston during a special ceremony. Once students get their diploma and submit a FAFSA application, they will be able to begin attending classes there in the fall.
Darlene Marcano, the head of school at Dearborn, said she was glad to have the opportunity to help her students with their futures.
"If there's anything I know about these children is they're very passionate about their futures," Marcano said. "Anything we can do to help them through it and help them reach their goals, we are going to do."
The class of 2022 will be the first of the Dearborn STEM Academy Scholars as a part of a program where BFIT will continue to admit graduating students from Dearborn. Ronan Tabor, a senior at Dearborn, said he was excited for the chance to take more classes at BFIT, as he already takes early college classes through his school.
"I'm really grateful for this opportunity," Tabor said. "It's a wonderful thing to have and I'm really glad they're offering it to our school."
Along with themselves, the program will allow each student to nominate a family member over the age of 19 to be admitted to BFIT as well. BFIT President Dr. Aisha Francis said in a statement this will help increase career opportunities and economic stability on a two-generational level.
“While many high school students have the ability and desire to learn career-readying technical skills, sometimes the combination of structural barriers and a confidence gap can discourage eligible students from pursuing educational opportunities beyond high school,” Dr. Francis wrote. “We are proactively admitting all graduates from Dearborn STEM Academy because we know they are well-prepared to pursue their technical education at a higher level.”
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The program is funded through the Boston Plan For Excellence, which launched a fund that looks to provide last-dollar scholarships to fully fund the students as they pursue an associate degree at BFIT or other institutions they may attend. The fund has already raised nearly $150,000 thanks to donations.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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