March 28, 2024

Gateway to College program has its first Newton graduate

Martin, a Mississippi transfer, completed CNA course

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When Samantha Martin recently relocated to Iowa, she wasn’t sure exactly how her educational future would pan out.

However, when she returns to Mississippi later this year, Martin will have in her hands both a Newton High School diploma and a nursing assistant certificate.

Des Moines Area Community College’s “Gateway to College” program is in its sixth year, and a memorandum of understanding was recently approved last winter by both DMACC and the Newton Community School District board of education. This allows Newton Schools to refer students to the program, and Martin will be the first student referred by the district to graduate.

Students get regular diplomas from their referring high schools. The Gateway program ceremony is scheduled to be held at 5 p.m., Aug. 7 at DMACC’s Southridge Center.

The Gateway program is for students, age 16-20, who are behind on credits and have exhausted all of their high school district’s options in programs. It allows students to attend DMACC without being charged for tuition, books or supplemental supplies, and to pursue credits toward both a regular high school diploma and a college certificate or degree, until the semester when a student turns 21.

Martin is 16, so she is at the younger end of the age spectrum generally considered for Gateway. She was behind on credits when she moved to the Newton area.

“I moved here from Mississippi, which has its curriculums set up much differently from Iowa,” she said. “I was really happy when I found out about this program.”

Unlike regular DMACC students or dual-enrollment students, qualifiers for the Gateway program must have the approval of their school district’s administration, and must be behind in credits for age and grade level to graduate on time. Martin is probably not a typical example of how Gateway works with most students, as she never attended a Newton Schools campus as a regular student before being referred to DMACC.

The student must still live in the DMACC district as well, be able to get to one of the college’s centers, and be able to read at an eighth-grade level or higher. Most importantly, students must be excited and motivated to work toward both a high school diploma and a college degree or certificate — or the arrangement won’t work.

Ahmed Agyeman, an associate director of program development at DMACC, said the program is not for every kind of student, but will work for motivated students who are ready to focus on completing an education.

Students can take their lowest-level college classes at any of the DMACC locations, such as the Newton Campus, but often find that one of the college’s trade-specific programs, such as the paralegal program offered at the urban campus or those offered as part of the FFA Enrichment Center on the Ankeny Campus, will be where they want to finish their degree or certificate.

“We wait for school districts to refer students to us,” Ageyman said.

Agyeman said each student is evaluated for whether the program will work for them (some are really close to graduating — others are simply too far behind in credits), and a contract is signed. Students meet with staff regularly to discuss their needs, and some take “life skills” or “college experience” classes to become acclimated.

The Gateway program, began about five years ago with a grant from Walmart, has become a regularly funded program, with a long list of donating organizations that includes the Gates Foundation. The program is available at 43 colleges in 23 different states.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com