Georgia Magazine - January 2020 - 25

SOUTH GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

STRIC T
TY SCHOOL DI
DEKALB COUN

Above: South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) culinary arts student Jamera
Mitchell, second from left, is the first REACH Georgia student to graduate from a Technical College System of Georgia institution. Celebrating with her are, from left, Keisha
Hull with REACH Georgia, SGTC Vice President of Operations Karen Werling and SGTC
President John Watford. Left: Student Tsegenash Atiso, left, was named as one of the
REACH Georgia scholars at Tucker Middle School in Tucker.

To date, REACH Georgia has graduated three classes of seniors. The graduating classes
of 2017-19 consisted of 133 students. These scholars had an average final
GPA of 3.3, and 71 percent were eligible to receive the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarship
in addition to the REACH Georgia Scholarship.
pursue college or a career certificate after high school. They
may not have the guidance or support to take college-prep
classes, apply to schools or seek financial assistance to ensure
they get there. The program is intended to bridge that gap.
In eighth grade, students apply and interview for the
opportunity; if selected, they attend a signing ceremony at the
end of the fall semester at which they pledge their dedication to
academic excellence during high school. They promise to
maintain a 2.5 GPA or better, good attendance and good
behavior and to remain drug- and alcohol-free.
The program started with 35 students in five county school
systems: Bulloch, Dodge, Douglas, Quitman and Rabun. Now
154 school systems have 1,800 scholars, with $22 million
committed to scholarships. The goal is to enroll all 180 systems
in the state and serve 3,000 students by 2021.
"We owe it to our young people to provide the maximum
opportunities for them and make sure it's the path they choose,
wherever they decide to go to school," says Brad Bryant, vice
president of the program. "This is a great way to help our

students who might not otherwise have the opportunity for
higher education."
As part of the program, scholars meet eight times each
semester with their mentors, who model positive behavior and
provide advice about education and life. In addition, students
meet four times per semester with their academic coaches, who
monitor students' progress, help them develop career plans and
identify any academic or social support they need.
Each student who completes the program and graduates
from high school receives a $10,000 scholarship to attend a
Georgia university, technical college or private school. The
award is given as $2,500 installments for each year of postsecondary education.
"It's really quite rewarding to work with [these students]
through each semester. They really do deserve the support and
don't take it for granted," says Melissa Price, the Marion County
coordinator and Blackshear's academic coach. "Some kids do
struggle, so imagining that $10,000 on the other side of graduation hits home for them."
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Georgia Magazine - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2020