DUBLIN, Ga. — At Dublin High School, they're encouraging students to think outside of the box when choosing a career track.
The school is already seeing the fruits of its ambition as their first student graduated from the Accelerated Career Pathways program.
"The point of the program is to kind of identify students who are workforce-bound, and get them fast-tracked through the traditional high school setting and get them linked up with a career that not only matches their interests but their aptitudes as well," CEO of Dublin High School's College and Career Academy Ben Lanier said.
Staying on track in high school isn't always easy. But for Jarvis Wiggins, staying on track while also taking college classes was a different kind of challenge.
"It was kind of stressful, little bit. But I had some ups and downs, but like it's a mentality thing, You gotta like, actually want it," Wiggins said.
The program fast-tracked his high school journey to graduate a year early. He had to take nine specific classes in high school to graduate.
Taking the extra time allowed him to get an associate degree in welding at Oconee Fall Line Technical College and his high school diploma.
"It's really about the experience. I need to do this to better myself in the future and the next five years. That's what I really always think about. Will it set myself up in the future instead of like in-between," Wiggins said.
It took a lot of determination on his part to get a career head-start. It also required a lot of planning.
Lanier said it's not something they just throw kids into- it starts with early conversations before high school, to see which students are a good fit for the program.
"It's a really innovative program. Really versatile program, that really puts the power in the hands of the students," Lanier said.
The state has a list of high-demand careers students can choose from, and be certified in through the program.
Depending on each school's availability, students can choose from things like dental assisting, diesel technology, healthcare, and more.
"The purpose of the program and why it was created was to get those students who you know, want to work with their hands and want to work in those high-demand career fields and know they're not necessarily destined for a four-year university right after graduation," Lanier said.
Wiggins didn't have a typical high school experience. He missed out on time with friends to chase his welding dreams.
"With me, I knew I had friends that basically wanted me in class, but I was basically focused on me. Cause education's gonna set you up for life," Wiggins said.
He said he thinks it paid off in the end though, because he got to graduate with the class of 2023.
It also gave him a choice of starting the workforce early, or come back to play one more year of sports with the football and wrestling teams.
"I knew they were gonna miss me so I stayed back to enjoy one year with them, one more last time because they're family to me," Wiggins said.
Lanier said they're proud to have Wiggins as their first graduate of the program because he sets a great example for other students of what they can achieve through a positive attitude.
"I'm really glad that he's the first because if you are ever going to like, put a kid in front of other kids and say this is who you need to be like, Jarvis Wiggins would probably be your first pick because he does everything, and I mean everything, with a smile on his face," Lanier said.
The Accelerated Career Pathways program used to be known as Option B. Students still graduate with the same high school diploma they would normally get.