Arlington Tech Class of 2021 Graduates First to Earn Associates Degrees

Seven Arlington Tech Class of 2021 graduates are the first APS students to earn Associates Degrees by taking courses offered through both Arlington Tech and the Career Center.

In partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA):

• 52 Arlington Tech graduates earned a total of 1,896 college credits;
• 14 Arlington Tech graduates earned a General Education Certificate which completes the first year of 33 college credits; and
• Of the 14 Arlington Tech graduates who earned a General Education Certificate, seven dual Arlington Tech-NOVA graduates earned an Associates of Science Degree in Computer Science, marking the first time this has happened In Arlington Tech’s history.

The seven Arlington Tech students who are the first to earn both their general education certificates as well as their associate of science degree in computer science, through a combination of Arlington Tech and Arlington Career center courses are:

• Shushan Barua, Adrian Buchholz, Francesco Crisafulli, Abby Dhakal, Conor Edwards, Charles Male, and Peter Yuan.

The seven Arlington Tech students who earned general education certificates are:

• Carole French, Sheereen Khan, Kelly Melnick, Sam Muzinski, Liam Norman, Talia Penn, Emilio Tognelli.

With these credentials and degrees, students have the option to enter directly into the workforce, as well as pursue transfer initiatives that prepare them to get a jumpstart in college. With the associates degree, these students will have the opportunity to take advanced courses, pursue a double major, or enter college as third-year students.

“We are incredibly proud of the entire graduating class of 2021—not just for overcoming a challenging senior year in the pandemic, but also for achieving excellence and going above and beyond to pursue their studies,” said Margaret Chung, Principal, Arlington Career Center. “This was the first cohort of students graduating from Arlington Tech to earn both general education certificates and associates degrees, allowing them to pursue multiple pathways in the workforce or in their continuing education. We value our partnership with NOVA and look forward to continuing to expand the program to more students.”

Established in fall 2016, Arlington Tech is a rigorous, STEM and project-based learning, early college/high school program that prepares students to succeed in college and in the workplace. The first cohort of students graduated last year with nine students earning the General Education Certificates. Arlington Tech is located at Arlington Career Center which is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) hub for the district. It is a rapidly expanding program that is leading innovative solutions in education.