{"id":2097,"date":"2026-07-06T11:11:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:11:48","slug":"a-record-number-of-n-j-students-are-earning-associates-degrees-with-their-high-school-diplomas-meet-three-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097","title":{"rendered":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them."},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div><audio><\/audio><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When Jasmine Thach began high school four years ago, she wanted to balance academics and extracurricular activities to pursue her college dreams.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2095\">\u26f3The area\u2019s quirky mini golf courses | Inquirer South Jersey<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>By sophomore year, Thach was enrolled in her first college course. She began taking as many as five classes a semester \u2014 enough credits to obtain an associate\u2019s degree in May from Camden County College.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Thach picked up her second diploma when she graduated in June as valedictorian from Camden County Technical Schools in Pennsauken. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI knew that I could do it,\u201d said Thach, 18, of Pennsauken. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how lucky I was.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Thach is among a record group of 367 students enrolled in New Jersey\u2019s 21 county vocational-technical schools who graduated withassociate\u2019s degrees this yearwhile attending high school. That amounts to30 more than the previous year, said Jackie Burke, executive director of the NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a great outcome,\u201d said Burke. \u201cThis is really an attractive option that more people are looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Once considered an option mostly for students to pursue skilled trades, vocational-technical schools have become increasingly competitive and are attracting students who want a different pathway to college or careers. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>In a tough economy, the vocational-technical schools make it easier and more affordable for students to earn credit for college-level work. Many have partnerships with county colleges and other nearby two- and four-year colleges, Burke said.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of students seeing the value of getting a head start,\u201d Burke said. \u201cThis is really a way to save on those costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Of the 367 students graduating this year, 31 are from Camden County Technical Schools, which has campuses in Gloucester Township and Pennsauken. The Gloucester County Institute in Deptford has 17 graduates. Burlington County Institute of Technology has students who earned some credits, but none who obtained the full associate\u2019s degree. Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland had the second-highest in the state, with 60 graduates.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>For the 2024-25 school year, more than 35,000 students were enrolled in New Jersey\u2019s county-vocational schools. The schools are selective; only about 12,000 of the nearly 30,000 who apply annually statewide are accepted.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Students may study a wide range of disciplines, from traditional vocational fields like cosmetology and construction to engineering and health science.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Under the Early College Associate Degree (ECAD) program, counselors work with students to meet their high school requirements while earning an associate\u2019s degreeand attending some of their classes on college campuses.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>In most cases students earn credits at a significantly reduced cost or free. Students can enter four-year colleges as sophomores or juniors, amounting to big savings in time and money.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Here are the stories of a few of this year\u2019s graduates:<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Jasmine Thach: Wanted to help fund college<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>With two siblings already in college, Thach wanted to help ease the financial burdens for her parents. She volunteered as a tutor and participated in performing arts and the newspaper club, all while maintaining her grades.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>She graduated from Camden County College with an associate\u2019s degree in liberal arts and sciences, and from Camden County Technical Schools in Pennsauken.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>In a nod to her Cambodian heritage, she learned to play the kong thom, a traditional Cambodian musical instrument consisting of gongs, and the violin. Every Sunday she travels with her family to Arlington, Va., to take lessons, part of their quest to preserve their culture.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2093\">What will Media look like in 2035? The borough is planning for diversified housing options, safer streets, and more retail<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>While her mother and sister learned traditional Cambodian dances, Jasmine discovered a passion for music. \u201cI have two left feet,\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Jasmine received a full scholarship to attend Johns Hopkins University where she plans to major in applied math and statistics.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>She wants to become an actuary and eventually obtain a doctorate and become a college professor.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very big on math,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Yeheira Acosta: `I\u2019m just really grateful\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Education has become a family affair for Yeheira Acosta, with her parents and younger sister following in her footsteps to make a better life.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>She graduated in June from Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland and picked up an associate\u2019s degree in computer science from Rowan College of South Jersey. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>A first-generation college student, Acosta has inspired her family. A younger sister is also on track to earn an associate\u2018s degree while in high school. Her father recently enrolled in a DeVry University online cybersecurity program, and her mother is pursuing a GED.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Acosta, 18, of Vineland, plans to study AI at Vanderbilt University, where she earned a full ride. A Yankees fan, she wants to work in the sports industry.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Although she is excited about the next chapter, Acosta said she will miss her family and her church, the Life of Faith in Vineland, where she provides technical support.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2018m just really grateful, not everyone has the same opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Max Yeung: An aspiring lawyer<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The youngest of three siblings, Max Yeung has set his sights on becoming a personal injury lawyer and a public service advocate.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>He obtained an associate\u2019s degree in prelaw from Rowan College of South Jersey in Sewell. Yeung said following a computer science track at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology and an internship he got along the way helped him realize that law is his passion. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Yeung said he landed an internship at an Audubon law firm with assistance from a college professor. His top priority was completing as many credits as possible. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>At his high school, Yeung, 17, of Sewell, founded a nonpartisan civics group that registered students to vote. He was also president of the National Honor Society. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt was a lot of juggling. There were a lot of moments when I had to huddle down,\u201d he said. \u201cIt helped me understand what the college environment looked it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Yeung plans to attend Rowan University as a law justice major. Depending on how many credits transfer, he may graduate in a year or two and then hopes toattend Rutgers-Camden Law School.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2090\">Next up for the United States? Belgium. We predict which one heads to the quarterfinals of the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students can earn credit for college-level work to get associate\u2019s degrees and enter four-year colleges as sophomores or juniors to save time and money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Students can earn credit for college-level work to get associate\u2019s degrees and enter four-year colleges as sophomores or juniors to save time and money.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Corporate Movers USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626\"},\"headline\":\"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097\"},\"wordCount\":1064,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097\",\"name\":\"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif\",\"width\":760,\"height\":507},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?p=2097#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Corporate Movers USA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/corporate-movers-usa.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA","og_description":"Students can earn credit for college-level work to get associate\u2019s degrees and enter four-year colleges as sophomores or juniors to save time and money.","og_url":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097","og_site_name":"Corporate Movers USA","article_published_time":"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626"},"headline":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them.","datePublished":"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097"},"wordCount":1064,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097","url":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097","name":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them. - Corporate Movers USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif","datePublished":"2026-07-06T11:11:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/205e8de437b4b1b8dc03fa8c7200876a.avif","width":760,"height":507},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2097#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A record number of N.J. students are earning associate\u2019s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/","name":"Corporate Movers USA","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e17225d0157cf1fa5c6e5e795cc26626","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com"],"url":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}