It seems hard for Emmalee French to believe that just five years ago she was in the 8th grade, learning about the amazing opportunities the P-TECH program presented. Today she's in her final semester at Onondaga Community College, completing work toward her Electrical Technology degree. By summer she'll have a full-time job as an Electrical Technician at Novelis, an aluminum mill in Oswego. "I think it's insane! It blows me away when I think about it. This whole thing has been so amazing."
P-TECH stands for Pathways in Technology Early College High School. It's a program that provides high school students the opportunity to work toward their high school diploma and associate degree simultaneously, and provide them a pathway to an in-demand job.
French started considering P-TECH as she watched her older sister struggle with the challenges of high school. "What she was going through didn't seem like fun. I thought I would try this instead."
During her junior year at Oswego High School French began taking classes at Onondaga Community College two days a week. She had the option of choosing between Mechanical Technology and Electrical Technology. "I always really liked math and had really good grades in math so I thought, 'Electrical is just a lot of applied math. I can do that.'"
As a high school senior she came to OCC five days a week and was able to focus more on Electrical Technology. "The P-TECH program says, 'here's what you need to know' and they stick to that regimen. They teach what you need to know so you succeed."
After walking the graduation stage as a member of Oswego High School's class of 2020, French became a full-time student at OCC. She'll complete her Electrical Technology degree this May after just one year. She turned a job shadow at Novelis into an internship, and later this year she will become a full-time employee there.
French hopes any students considering P-TECH take advantage of the opportunity. "If you like math, you like science, and you might like engineering, you will get a taste of something that's real-world based. In eighth grade you may not be thinking about what you want to do when you grow up, but this program gears you toward getting a job."
