More than 700 students complete Columbus Promise application, graduation season in full-swing
Good morning, Columbus!
We are in the home stretch of the school year. Soon those summer plans you have been daydreaming about will become a reality.
In the meantime, don’t let senioritis totally take you out. Finish strong!
Congratulations are in order for all the new Ohio State University, Capital University and Ohio Dominican University graduates!
This month marks four years since I graduated from Ohio University. One of my favorite parts about graduating other than, well, graduating, was decorating my cap with newspaper print.
Dispatch photographer Adam Cairns put together a slideshow of Ohio State seniors who celebrated by donning their graduation regalia for photos before the ceremony.
Review session: In a higher education and K-12 education crossover, I recently wrote about The Columbus Promise, an initiative that allows graduating seniors in the Columbus City Schools to attend Columbus State Community College for free.
This year's seniors are the first of three Columbus school district graduating classes eligible to participate in Columbus Promise. Columbus’ Class of 2023 and 2024 graduates are also eligible.
I was at the press conference in November when The Columbus Promise was initially announced and there was much excitement and buzz, and the momentum has only grown.
More than 700 Columbus City Schools seniors have completed the full application process for The Columbus Promise: which means filling out an application for The Columbus Promise scholarship at cbuspromise.com, complete an application to Columbus State and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA.
I spoke with three excited Columbus City Schools seniors who will start attending Columbus State Community College this fall.
"The Columbus Promise has promised me that I will be debt-free,” David Ananou-Lawson, 18, a senior at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center. “My family doesn't have to rally to find funds for me to attend (college). My future is secured and it cost me nothing to apply.”
Larreal Sowell, 17, a senior at Northland High School, said The Columbus Promise fits perfectly with his plans to get a degree in business management. He was originally planning to attend Ohio State University this fall, but now plans to spend two years studying at Columbus State and then take his credits and finish his degree at Ohio State.
“It’s almost like a relief,” Sowell said. “It alleviated my fears."
The estimated cost for phase one of The Columbus Promise is $9.5 million, which will be split between public and private sponsors. The city of Columbus will contribute $4 million and Columbus State will contribute $1 million.
"If we did not do something like the Promise, we would just fall completely behind and not have the workforce that would keep up with the jobs that are being created," Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said.
Extra Credit
Sheridan Hendrix talked to Jaden Partlow, who recently earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Otterbein University after starting his college career at the age of 12.
Michael Lee talked to Kelli Davis and Nidhi Satiani for his story about how Greater Columbus saw more immigrant and diverse candidates in local city council and school board races. And in districts like Worthington and Upper Arlington, new, minority candidates won their races on their local school boards.
Photographer Fred Squillante and I gave readers an exclusive, inside look at Ralph C. Starkey High School, which is just like any other typical school — except it is surrounded by a 20-foot-high fence topped with barbed wire and is inside Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility.
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Until next time,
Megan Henry
mhenry@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Education News: Over 700 students complete Columbus Promise application
