STCC celebrates Pathways to Prosperity students from West Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Thanks to a program called Pathways to Prosperity, Springfield Technical Community College student Michael Grillo of West Springfield was able to condense two years of college into one year.
A mechanical engineering technology major, Grillo hopes to get his associate degree from STCC in May – only one year after earning his diploma from West Springfield High School.
“I learned a lot from Pathways to Prosperity and was able to achieve a lot,” said Grillo, 18. “It really did help me get a head start in the industry.”
Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) is a grant-funded program at West Springfield High School that combines academics with manufacturing technology job preparation. Students enroll in a six-year program that leads them from West Springfield High School to STCC. They participate in College Now, a dual enrollment program that allows them to take free college classes while still in high school.
“The goal of Pathways to Prosperity is that all students, once they graduate from West Springfield High School, will come to us with a minimum of 12 college credits, which is phenomenal,” said Dr. Adrienne Smith, dean of the School of Engineering Technologies & Mathematics at STCC.
STCC is one of only eight colleges in the country that offers the program, Smith said.
Smith and other STCC faculty and staff on Oct. 10 celebrated the first five students to enroll in the program. Each year since the initial cohort started in 2013, the number of students has increased. This year’s freshman class at West Springfield High School has about 35 students enrolled in Pathways to Prosperity, said Maria Silvestri, vice principal of curriculum and instruction at West Springfield High School.
I learned a lot from Pathways to Prosperity and was able to achieve a lot. It really did help me get a head start in the industry.Michael Grillo, STCC student
“The Pathways program has offered our students an opportunity we didn’t have before,” Silvestri said. “Our school has a lot of college-oriented programs, but not many programs that offer the hands-on experience that this program does. These students truly enjoy doing hands-on work. They’re very interested in the manufacturing/engineering component. Pathways to Prosperity builds those two components into our curriculum and offers them an opportunity to work and see what college is like as well.
“Many of these students probably didn’t envision college until they entered the program,” Silvestri added. “It encouraged them. It offered them an opportunity that wasn’t there before, so we’re really grateful.”
The West Springfield students enrolled in the first group offered their thoughts about the program during the recent celebration at STCC.
Tim Vovk, 18, said he signed up for Pathways to Prosperity soon after he heard about it when he was in the eighth grade. He was excited to learn about computer programs used by engineers and work hands on with high-tech machines.
“It also offered me opportunities such as jobs during high school,” Vovk said.
“I liked being able to experience being in college before we were in college,” added Alexzander Pastore, 18, an engineering science transfer student at STCC who is interested in robotics. “All of the teachers and professors treat you like an adult. I like getting to experience that.”
Interested in mechanical engineering technology or other programs at STCC? Visit www.stcc.edu/apply or call the Admission Office at 413-755-3333.
For more information about Pathways to Prosperity, contact Danel Paradis, director and guidance counselor for the program at West Springfield High School: (413) 263-3400, ext. 6158, or via email at Paradis@WSPS.org.
About Springfield Technical Community College
Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, a designated Hispanic Serving Institution and an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 7,700 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.
For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Pictured from left to right are Daniel Paradis, director and guidance counselor for Pathways to Prosperity at West Springfield High School; students Tim Vovk, Edwin Nikitchuk, Alexzander Pastore and Michael Grillo; Professor Gary Masciadrelli, chair of Mechanical Engineering Technology; and Maria Silvestri, vice principal of curriculum and instruction at West Springfield High School.