Deborah Patrick is on track to graduate college a year early after earning an associate degree in 2023 from Bergen Community College prior to her graduation from Applied Technology High School.
This June, 337 seniors across New Jersey’s county vocational-technical schools are receiving their high school diplomas after earning associate degrees. The Class of 2025 set a record for the number of vocational students who completed the 60 credits required for an associate degree – the equivalent of two full years of college – while still in high school.
One of those students is Eric Mora Jimenez, who came to the United States less than 10 years ago from the Dominican Republic. He spoke little English at the time, but learning the language became one more achievement in his academic journey. Today, his story not only includes earning an associate degree before graduating high school but also receiving a full scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall.
Burke
Jimenez said his Camden County Technical Schools counselors and teachers helped him restructure his learning process and embrace the rigors of college-level courses as he worked toward an associate degree. Now, he has the credits and the confidence to take with him to MIT.
“Earning this associate degree has prepared my mind to take on higher education at a competitive university,” he added.
Jimenez is one of 22 high school seniors from CCTS to earn an associate degree from Camden County College this year. The high school and college partners offer the Early College Associate Degree program, which provides a clear route for students to meet high school graduation requirements while simultaneously earning an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Science.
Through the ECAD program, Jimenez was able to continue cultivating his musical talents as part of the CCTS Music Academy while also taking on new academic challenges in preparation for MIT. At the university, he plans to study astrophysics with the goal of obtaining a Ph.D. and working for NASA.
Affordability and accessibility
Jimenez’s story is one example of how New Jersey’s county vocational-technical school model enables students to customize their learning. The model is largely successful because of ambitious students, like Jimenez, and the partnerships schools have with colleges and universities, as well as business partners, to expand learning opportunities for students.
Eric Mora Jimenez celebrates receiving an associate degree from Camden County College prior to graduating high school from Camden County Technical Schools
Each of the state’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts has articulation agreements with their county college, and other two- and four-year colleges and universities, that enable students to earn credit for college-level work as part of their high school career and technical education program.
“My school subsidized the cost of the degree completely,” said Jimenez of what CCTS could offer him through its partnership with Camden County College.
James Pedersen, superintendent of Essex County Schools of Technology and president of the NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools, said affordability and accessibility drive the vocational-technical schools to continue expanding opportunities for students to earn college credits while in high school. That, combined with increased awareness among students and their families, annually increases the number of high school graduates earning associate degrees.
“Students get to sample college-level courses with the support of our staff. They can earn these credits at a significantly reduced cost or even no cost in some districts and programs. It’s an opportunity too good to pass up for those students who see college in their futures,” Pedersen added.
On the fast track
Two years after graduating with a high school diploma and an associate degree, Deborah Patrick is set to graduate next May – a full year early – from Howard University, where she is on the pre-med track majoring in biology and double minoring in chemistry and psychology.
Patrick, a Norwood native, attended Applied Technology High School, part of Bergen County Technical Schools, and Bergen Community College for her first two degrees. She credits her high school for not only helping her get a few steps ahead on her medical school journey but also helping her feel confident in the path she has chosen.
“Attending a vocational-technical school, specifically majoring in health professions, instilled in me valuable medical and health care skills that helped solidify my passion for becoming a doctor,” Patrick said.
“Attending also gave me a more competitive edge when applying for college, jobs, internships, scholarships and leadership positions.”
Deborah Patrick, a Norwood native, credits her high school for not only helping her get a few steps ahead on her medical school journey but also helping her feel confident in the path she has chosen
At a time when the traditional progression of high school to college to career is being examined and debated, the trajectories of both Patrick and Jimenez help demonstrate what should be at the core of education in our country. That is presenting opportunities for students to chart their own unique paths for upward mobility.
New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical schools offer such opportunities. For students whose career goals require college, the ability to earn college credits is invaluable. By taking college-level courses, students receive validation that they are on the right path and gain confidence that they can continue on that path. Furthermore, they save time and money both by determining their passions and interests before enrolling in a four-year institution and earning transferable credits to apply to that institution.
As 337 students graduate from our state’s county vocational-technical schools this month already with an associate degree completed, we should celebrate these students’ hard work as well as the system we have in place to support them.
Our state’s county-based delivery of career and technical education enables strategic partnerships to form throughout the state to benefit our students.
And students aren’t the only ones benefitting from an accelerated college degree. Businesses also benefit, because when these students enter the workforce, they do so with passion for their chosen field and the preparation needed to contribute immediately.
This was originally published June 16, 2025, by Jackie Burke in NJBIZ.
