Algoma U helps high school seniors transition into post-secondary education
Posted September 2, 2023 8:18 pm.
Last Updated September 2, 2023 8:21 pm.
Two schools are coming together to bridge the gap for high school students. Starting this Tuesday, 50 Grade 11 and 12 students from the Peel District School Board will have their first day of school at Algoma University which has a campus location in Brampton. It’s part of their inaugural Learners Early Access Program, also known as LEAP. The university hopes the free program will make transitioning from high school to university easier and teach students that obtaining a post-secondary education is possible.
“It prioritizes Black and Indigenous and equity deserving groups from our local Brampton and Mississauga high schools, and offers the high school classes, university classes and certificate program in partnership with Unity Technologies,” said Rebecca Rucurean, Director of Student Recruitment at Algoma University.
University courses that students have the option to take are: Intro to Canadian Business, Introduction to Esports Management, and Computer Applications. Students will also be taking their high school classes at the same time. For grade 11 students, they will take the Indigenous English course, while grade 12 students will take the newly developed Black Voices English course. In the end, the post-secondary credits can be transferred to any college or university they enrol in.
“The goal is really to get students comfortable within the post-secondary environment, and maybe envisioning themselves at post-secondary when they might not have before,” said Rucurean. “We want to support students in that right fit for them on their post-secondary journey.”
The university is also signing an agreement with Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board which would bring another 25 students to the program in January 2024. By next September, the university hopes to have 300 high school students enrolled in LEAP.
On Tuesday, officials from Algoma University and Peel District School Board, along with students taking part in LEAP will be at the Brampton campus at 56 Queen Street East to officially launch the program. The event starts at 12 p.m.
