Roane State Community College

Oct. 13, 2010

Roane State Community College and Harriman High School recently kicked off the PLAN project, an initiative to better prepare high school students for college.

PLAN stands for Prepare, Learn and Navigate, and the project’s goals include raising awareness about postsecondary education, helping students avoid roadblocks in the admissions and registration process, and providing students with tools to optimize success. Roane State is partnering with the Tennessee Technology Center (TTC) in Harriman, Harriman High School and Worldwide Interactive Network (WIN), a Kingston-based education technology firm.

“You can all be successful in this program,” Harriman High principal Russell Jenkins told the 75 students who will participate in the program. “Every one of you can go on and get a degree after high school. We want Harriman High School students to be successful in school and after they leave here. That’s what this program is about.”

In April, Roane State received a $67,313 Access and Diversity Grant to fund the initiative. The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) awards Access and Diversity grants, which are designed to promote diversity, enhance inclusiveness and strengthen the presence of underrepresented groups on campuses. TBR is the governing body for the state’s community colleges and public universities outside the University of Tennessee system.

“We want to give you some opportunities and some roadmaps that you can look at to determine what you want to do upon graduating from Harriman High School,” Roane State President Dr. Gary Goff said. “The support structure that’s going to be in place will provide you insights into some areas you may be interested in.”

The grant funding for the PLAN project is spread over three years. The project will involve sophomores, juniors and seniors, and the grant will pay costs associated with workshops to help students assess their skills and interests, campus visits, cultural activities, ACT preparation, and other activities.

Danice Turpin, director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, encouraged the students to “look at yourselves a little bit deeper.”

“What does your personality lend itself toward?” she asked. “What skills are you good at? And then ultimately think, ‘Is there a field that I can be happy working in for a good 20 or 30 years.’ It’s no fun to have a job that you do not like. A program like this lets you get out, and experience, and plan your future.”

Abby Murrell, a Roane State student and 2010 Harriman High School graduate, advised the students to start thinking about college as soon as possible.

“I didn’t start looking at colleges until I was a senior,” she said. “That was a big mistake. I think I did my first college visit in December. All the scholarship applications were usually due back in October or November. I can’t stress enough to start researching the college you want to attend.”

The Tennessee Technology Center is also a great place to prepare for a career, said Nikki Conley, a cosmetology student at the TTC and a 2008 Roane County High School graduate.

“The Technology Center is more hands-on learning,” Conley said. “We have a good ratio of students to teachers, and you get a lot of one-on-one time with your teachers. It’s just like a big family.”

Students who participate in the program and graduate from high school will receive a free Kindle, Amazon’s popular ebook-reading device. Seniors who complete the PLAN program and graduate will be eligible to win a $500 scholarship from Roane State or the Tennessee Technology Center. Scholarship winners will be selected by a drawing.

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Danice Turpin, director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, talks to Harriman High School students participating in the PLAN project. Back, from left, Roane State Assistant Vice President of Student Services/Dean of Students Beverly Bonner and Harriman High counselor Corey Mashburn listen as Turpin encourages the students to carefully consider what they want to become after high school.