Earning one degree would be an accomplishment for even the most dedicated students, but imagine earning both a high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. That is exactly what one Westmoreland student enrolled in the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program at the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES did over the last four years.
William Grant, a senior at Westmoreland Jr./Sr. High School, became the first P-TECH OHM student to graduate from Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology in May, prior to receiving his Regents Diploma with Honors in June. 
The P-TECH OHM program was established in 2015 with the mission of providing selected students from the OHM BOCES’ component school districts with individualized opportunities to simultaneously earn their New York State Regents High School Diploma and an Associate of Applied Science degree from MVCC at no cost to the students.
As one of only 38 P-TECH programs throughout New York State, P-TECH OHM offers students an innovative, hands-on and rigorous high school and college curriculum focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while also teaching workplace skills including leadership, communication and problem solving. Students in the program participate in workplace projects, professional mentoring, job shadowing and internships with more than 30 local business and industry partners.
Thirteen other students from the program’s first cohort, also now seniors in high school, will complete their high school requirements this spring, gaining free college and internship experience along the way. Each has had an individualized four, five or six-year educational pathway to receiving their associate degree, and will graduate from MVCC by 2021.
Grant recognizes the academic, career and social advantages that he’s gained throughout his time in P-TECH OHM.
“I joined the P-TECH program to get ahead in my education, and get a head start on being a part of the workforce,” he said. “It's opened up this huge network of business leaders and college educators that I can connect to in the future.”
Throughout Grant’s time in the P-TECH program, he has excelled academically. He completed 23 high school credits and 68 college credits, was named to the MVCC Vice President’s List and the P-TECH Principal’s List and was inducted into MVCC’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
“What’s most impressive, and almost unheard of for a high school student, is that Will earned his associate degree before he even graduated from high school,” P-TECH Administrator Erica Schoff said. “He accelerated in both his high school and college career over the course of just four short years. P-TECH students are full-time at the college by the time they are seniors in high school, but through acceleration and hard-work, Will became a full-time college student in eleventh grade.”
In addition to being recognized for his academic accomplishments, Grant has built an impressive resume and secured the P-TECH program’s first paid internship with business partner Trenton Technology Inc. following completion of his junior year. Despite his rigorous schedule, he has also remained active in many extracurricular activities at Westmoreland, including Drama Club, Jazz and Concert Band, Chorus, Utica Honors Band, the Performing Arts Society and the Pride of Westmoreland Marching Band.
Grant plans to attend SUNY Polytechnic Institute next year where he will major in electrical engineering with a long-term goal to eventually earn a doctoral degree. He was also awarded the Stanley S. Litow P-TECH Scholarship for New York State P-TECH students who are on track to graduate from their P-TECH school with an AAS or AS degree and plan to continue their education at a four-year SUNY institution in the same degree field as their associate degree.
“If you are ready to work hard and really embrace education and the way P-TECH works, then you will truly benefit from everything they do to help you,” Grant, when asked what advice he would share with prospective P-TECH students, said. “It's truly astounding what they can do for you as long as you’re willing to accept the support they give.”
P-TECH OHM celebrated William Grant and the graduating members of the inaugural P-TECH OHM class during a Completion Ceremony on May 1 in the Howard D. Mettelman Learning Center on the OHM BOCES campus.