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The Steps-to-College (S2C) program gave 130 multilingual high school students a leg up in the classroom this summer. Offered by the University of North Georgia (Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å), S2C provides students an opportunity to take a condensed version of a required class during the month of June and receive credit toward graduation.  

Students from Gainesville City, Buford City, Hall County and Forsyth County school systems participated in the program at Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å's Gainesville Campus and chose either economics, government or a writing workshop. Created in 1999, S2C was taught by high school teachers and provided students with half-credits for classes like economics and American government.

This year, Jackson EMC and United Way of Hall County funded the program. Students were provided with transportation, lunch and supplies, making the program free for students. The program has also had field trips and visits from the College Assistance Migrant Program, which provides financial, technological and supplemental educational resources.

Jacob Bowling, a 2023 graduate of Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å with a degree in history with teacher certification was a first-time S2C teacher. He taught American government.

"It was a great experience because this was a group of students all of whom came to the classroom wanting to learn and ready to learn. They were engaged the whole time," Bowling said. "A lot of time as a schoolteacher, or a good portion of it is, to some extent, trying to teach behavior and how to act right and all that. I didn't have to do that with these students. Teaching them was just an absolute pleasure. They were wanting to learn. They were asking questions, getting involved."

Bowling said he had two key focuses for his class: exposing his students to English and helping them understand today’s political climate.

"A lot, if not all, of my students come from a background in which English is a second language, so one of the big focuses was trying to get them exposure to English and to utilize the language in an everyday and practical sense so that they would just be more familiar, more comfortable with it as they're trying to assimilate here in the United States," he said. "The other thing—with my class specifically—was kind of an eye-opener for me. When we were talking about the amendments and the Bill of Rights, they were very interested, especially given today's political climate.“

The questions posed to him, Bowling said, had him double-checking what rights students and their families have.

"That was a learning experience from not just the students, but for me as well, because I kind of had to do my own research a little bit outside of the standards we use," Bowling said. "A lot of the Bill of Rights discussion and amendments and having the students know in a practical manner what rights they have living in the United States was very illuminating and very gratifying to be able to watch them and kind of see that light bulb click a little bit. It was a cool thing to witness and experience."

Bowling is teaching at Gainesville Middle School East Campus after three years at Gainesville High School. He was invited to participate by Diana Mancilla, program director, and a 2021 Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å alumna with a degree in history with  teacher certification who currently teaches history at Gainesville High School.

Alexandra Fernandez, one of Bowling’s S2C students, is a junior at Denmark High School in Forsyth County, Georgia. Last year she completed Georgia’s required economics class and decided to return, encouraging friends and classmates to join her.

“It was fun. I got to meet so many new people. I had great teachers," Fernandez said. "I got the opportunity to experience what college is like."

The shortened class term saved her from being bored at home and she was happy to know she still had a month before returning to school, Fernandez said.

Having taken both required high school classes, Fernandez said she’s going to take advantage of that time in her senior year to dual enroll. She plans to study mechanical engineering.

One of the six friends Fernandez had coming into S2C was Juliette Campos, also a junior at Denmark High School. She, too, has hopes of dual enrollment and pursuing degree in speech therapy.

"We go through stuff really fast, so you have to pay attention, but the teachers care about you a whole bunch and won’t let you fail. They want you to pass," Campos said. "I got to meet new people. I like socializing, so it’s been fun."