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Updated: April 4, 2024 @ 7:16 pm
Alvarado High School graduate Brey Isclaw, pictured with his mother, Haven Johnston, discusses how the Jump Start Scholarship Program of Johnson County helped him attend Hill College debt free and continue on to Texas Tech University.
Times-Review
Community leaders gathered March 28 at Hill College in Cleburne to discuss the relaunch of the Jump Start Scholarship Program.
Alvarado High School graduate Brey Isclaw, pictured with his mother, Haven Johnston, discusses how the Jump Start Scholarship Program of Johnson County helped him attend Hill College debt free and continue on to Texas Tech University.
Times-Review
Community leaders gathered March 28 at Hill College in Cleburne to discuss the relaunch of the Jump Start Scholarship Program.
Jump Start, a Johnson County dual credit scholarship program for high school students, got off to a good start in 2018 but, like the rest of the world, ran into circumstances unforeseen.
“We started giving out several scholarship awards in 2019 and things went pretty well,” Jump Start organizer Gary Dollgener said. “But then COVID hit and just destroyed everything. But now we’re back, we became a 501(c)(3) last July, and we’re trying to reintroduce ourselves and get back up and running.”
Through dual credit courses, high school students receive class credits both for their high school and for college.
The Johnson County Jump Start program, through donations, exists to cover the costs of dual credit programs — about $315 per course — for qualified high school students in Johnson County.
The program is open to students in public, private, charter and home schools within the county.
“We want to help any kid who wants to get an education,” Dollgener said. “But our ability to do that depends on donations, fundraisers and volunteers, all of which we need right now.”
The Johnson County Jump Start initiative works in partnership with Hill College and high schools throughout the county.
Dollgener joined other Jump Start volunteers on March 28 at the Cleburne campus of Hill College to discuss the relaunch of the program.
Hill College officials also attended the meeting, as did state Rep. DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, Cleburne Chamber of Commerce President Tracy Thomas and Johnson County Commissioner Larry Woolley. Officials from Cleburne and Alvarado high schools attended as well.
Alvarado High School graduate Brey Isclaw, now 22, said the Jump Start scholarships he received several years ago greatly benefitted him and his mother.
“Thanks to Jump Start I was able to take dual credit courses in high school, which helped me out and I was able to graduate a semester early,” Isclaw said.
Thanks to the dual credit classes he completed in high school allowed Isclaw to earn an associates degree from Hill College debt free and then continue on to Texas Tech University where he completed a business degree in two years.
“I didn’t see it at the time,” Isclaw said. “But looking back now, the dual credit classes, the support I got at Alvarado and the Jump Start scholarships were so helpful to me, and I know they helped my mom out financially.”
Since he graduated from Texas Tech before many of his high school friends, Isclaw said he took a job that allowed him to travel for work upon graduation.
“I got to see places I never thought I’d see and just had a lot of cool experiences,” Isclaw said.
Two years ago he returned home to take a good paying job with Ryder.
“[Brey] is really something,” Dollgener said. “Just an inspiration and that’s what we want to do through Jump Start is help out other kids in the county to succeed and realize their dreams.”
Burns agreed.
“We can’t say we’re pro education and not do what we can to make it as accessible as possible for our kids,” Burns said.
Through helping high school students get an early start on college courses, the Jump Start program represents a “good investment in the future success of our county, region and state,” Jump Start organizers said.
Attendees of the March 28 meeting discussed how best to get word of Jump Start’s relaunch out. Volunteers plan to hit the ground running by talking at schools, area Rotary and Lions clubs and other civic events and organizations.
“The Cleburne chamber luncheon is April 23,” Thomas said. “It’s a great networking event and we always pack the house.”
Ashlee Ferguson, executive director of Institutional Advancement at Hill College, lead a discussion of ideas for a fundraising event still in the planning stages.
Dollgener talked of the organization’s recently launched Facebook page — JumpStart of Johnson County — and website, jumpstartjc.com.
Dollgener also asked those present to spread the word of the need for volunteers.
“The scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to all eligible students,” Dollgener said. “The effect of this effort will only be limited by the amount of money that we are able to raise.
“Not to mention that all donations made to the Jump Start fund are gifts to a governmental entity and therefore tax deductible.”
Several changes affecting dual credit affordability have come to pass since 2019, Dollgener and others said, but help is still needed.
“Come September the state will pay for dual credit classes for low-income students or at least for one per semester,” Dollgener said. “But we want to fill the gap for those students who want to take more than one class or for those who wouldn’t meet the low-income qualification but still wouldn’t be able to afford the classes otherwise. We really want to help anybody and as many as we can.”
Jump Start officials pointed out that dual credit high school students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid and that students on free and reduced lunch programs are less likely to enroll in dual credit courses.
The last statistic is one area in which they hope the availability of scholarships will help increase participation from such students.
Statistics also show that dual credit students have higher enrollment rates after high school and are more likely to complete a four-year degree in less time than non dual credit students.
In 2021-22, 13% of Johnson County high school students took dual credit courses through Hill College. Of those students, 82% continued on to higher education.
Statistics also show that college educated community members practice higher rates of civic engagement, volunteerism, voter turn out and are more likely to promote a healthy lifestyle.
To volunteer, apply, donate or learn more about Jump Start, call 254-659-76033.
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