TEMPLE, Texas — Nineteen Temple High School seniors will graduate with an associate degree from Temple College later this month after completing the Texas Bioscience Institute (TBI) Middle College Program. The TBI Middle College program allows high school students to work on completing their high school courses and progress toward an associate degree simultaneously.
The 19 students from Temple High School who will be earning their associate degree through the TBI Middle College program are: Yessenia Edgecomb, Alayna Elliott, Tyler Fuchs, Mariah Gaines, Trey Goynes, Maxwell Jaffers, Alfonso Lena Ordaz, Lydia Livesay, David Martinez, Maxximus Mason, Adayja Sanders, Madison Sapp, Riley Sawin, Elaina Slauson, Sara Sodek, Michaela Stelzer, Logan Whittemore, Kaylin Wolf, and Madelyn Yoo. The students earned degrees in Allied Health, Engineering Technology, Pre-Nursing, Biology, and Computer Information Systems. Edgecomb, Lena Ordaz, Stelzer, and Wolf will also graduate with Biological Honors. This group represents one of the largest from Temple High School to graduate from TBI in a single year.
The Texas Bioscience Institute program is a partnership between Temple College and Temple ISD. Students in the TBI Middle College Program earn up to 60 credit hours in a STEM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) foundational curriculum while also fulfilling high school graduation requirements. In addition to the challenging course work, many of these students also participate in extracurricular activities at Temple High School.
“Earning an associate’s degree before graduating from high school is a tremendous achievement,” said Dr. Renota Rogers, chief academic officer for Temple ISD. “Our TBI graduates are to be commended for their dedication and perseverance over the past two years. We are excited to see what they accomplish as they move on to college and careers.”
The students enrolled in the program received their silver cords, symbolic of completing requirements for graduation during a ceremony on May 5th. Temple College’s graduation is scheduled for May 16th with Temple High School’s graduation slated for May 30th.