Episode Details

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They walked and received a one-year college degree before stepping onto the stage to receive their high school diplomas.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet some incredibly smart and driven students in what is called the Jordan Prep Program. Find out how dedicating their summers to a rigorous academic STEM program starting in sixth grade propelled the students to college success while they were still in high school.

We're talking today with Stacy Pierce, the specialist over Jordan Prep. This is a really big day for Jordan Prep. And for you and for a lot of students.

Stacy Pierce:
It is indeed. So my kids have been with us since they were 11 and 12, right out of sixth grade. They've been in the program for seven years and today they walked at Salt Lake Community College with a one-year engineering drafting manufacturing technology degree. I'm very proud of them.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell us about that degree.

Stacy Pierce:
So for two years they've been taking classes at Salt Lake Community Campus with college professors. They were required to take seven engineering classes and three general education classes. And that's what's required to finish the one-year certificate that moves seamlessly into a four-year degree.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they are graduating with a one-year certificate before they graduate from high school later this month.

Stacy Pierce:
Three weeks from now is their high school graduation and they've already walked at a college graduation.

Anthony Godfrey:
That feels pretty awesome. That is fantastic.

Stacy Pierce;
It feels amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know or are unfamiliar with the program, talk about Jordan Prep. What does it entail? What's it all about?

Stacy Pierce:
So the Prep program was started 40 years ago in Texas to help underrepresented students prepare themselves for careers in STEM. It's a very math intensive program. The students, I would say, invest four summers of their summer vacations to take very rigorous academic classes. And at the end of that, then they start the college portion of the program.
We have over 50% female students, over 50% minority students, 70% of the students are lower income, and about around 70% also are first-generation college. Their parents did not go to college and they'll be the first generation to go to college.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I love about the Prep program is that it starts students early. It's not, hey, ‘you're a junior, what are some things we can do before you leave to help launch you into a successful future?’ It starts in sixth grade.

Stacy Pierce:
It starts in sixth grade. I was an engineer for 30 years, and when I left to start a STEM program for underrepresented students, I knew we had to grab them then. If we didn't grab them then, it was too late. So luckily, I stumbled onto the Prep program and it was already in Utah at UVU, and we brought it. We're the only school district in the nation with a Prep program.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. That's a source of pride for me as well. It's pretty exciting. Tell me, so this is, you know, when you start in sixth grade, that's high motivation. That's longer-term goal setting than most sixth gra