Isabella Blakely says she has felt a calling to help people at least since her father, David Blakely Jr., began an on-and-off battle with cancer when she was 13.
Now 18, the Sandusky resident and 2024 Sandusky High School graduate is in her first year as a full-time student at Bowling Green State University Firelands campus in Huron while also working part-time at Sandusky’s Firelands Regional Medical Center.
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Courtesy of Isabella BlakelyBlakely, a 2024 Sandusky High School graduate, is in her first year as a full-time student at Bowling Green State University Firelands campus while also working part-time at Firelands Regional Medical Center.“(A career in nursing) has always been in the back of my mind,” says Blakely, who, by completing the
Health Careers program at SHS, earned a scholarship to attend BGSU Firelands.
She is an example of how officials from the college and high school believe they are working together to bridge education and employment.
Thanks to an agreement between the institutions, in the last couple of years, any student who has completed a two-year career-tech program at the high school receives a $1,000 scholarship to BGSU Firelands.
“There’s no other eligibility requirement – you just have to complete your program,” says Brandy Bennett, SHS career technical education director and assistant principal. “In addition to that, one student who plans to attend BGSU Firelands receives a $2,000 scholarship, and that’s renewable, as well.”
The most recent “student of the year,” as Bennett calls that young person, is Blakely, who received $1,000 each for the fall and spring semesters.
“It has (helped) a lot,” Blakely says.
“The families love it,” says Dr. Allia L. Carter, BGSU Firelands dean
since June. “They really appreciate (the scholarships).”
Blakely is “an example of how that program has had great impact,” Carter says. “She’s able to apply a lot of that information and that knowledge (she’s gained) at Firelands Regional Medical Center.”
The partnership is an effort trying to respond to a demand, Bennett says.
“The reason why we did this is there’s this need in the state of Ohio for students who have technical skills, and I think more and more colleges are starting to recognize that there’s that need, and they want to tap into schools like ours who provide students these opportunities,” she says. “We’re a comprehensive school. What makes us a little different is that we have career tech embedded within the high school, and most schools don’t (offer) that opportunity.”
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Courtesy of BGSU FirelandsDr. Allia L. CarterThe myriad career tech programs offered at Sandusky High, Bennett says, include automotive, aviation, business, computer science, construction, engineering, welding, theater (with dance) and the newer interactive multimedia technology, which aims to prepare students to work in digital marketing/social media.
“We have a lot of programs,” she says. “People are unaware of how many programs we actually have out here.”
In fact, some middle-school programs, such as pre-business, pre-engineering and pre-computer science help lead into these programs, she adds.
Bennett and Carter each express looking forward to a meeting between the two entities in the next few weeks about how they can build upon what’s already been established. Ultimately, the aim is to find opportunities for more credits from the high school programs to transfer to the college.
“For example,” Bennett says, “I mentioned that interactive multimedia technology course – I know they’re doing content creation and digital marketing courses at BGSU Firelands. We want to make sure that we partner and see how students can get credit for that.”
The college hopes to create a path “to get more of the students to not just finish (at) the high school with their diploma and certificate but to come out with the associate’s degree,” Carter says. “We want to put together a model that will allow some of the students at the high school to take direct advantage of the initiative, crossing the stage with both degrees in hand.”
Although these efforts stem from BGSU Firelands’
Sandusky Promise endeavor, Carter says the school wants to work with other districts in similar ways where possible.
As for Blakely, she says juggling school and work can be challenging, but the latter has proved to be rewarding.
“I like dealing with the patients and hearing about their lives and … knowing that I’m helping them in some type of way,” she says. “They’ve told me I’ve helped them.”
Learn more about scholarships offered by BGSU Firelands.