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Fulton students report hospital and IT summer experiences as district expands early college pathways
Summary
Students and program leaders described job shadows, college credits and paid work in the district’s Early College Health Science and IT pathways; board praised partnerships with local health and technology employers.
Fulton City School District board members heard presentations from the district’s early college high school program, where students reported paid summer positions, job shadows and college credits earned through partnerships with local health and technology employers.
The program’s lead and staff framed the pathway as both career exposure and college credit accumulation. Mr. Broderick, who leads the early college pathway coordination, said community partners including Swiggle Health and Upstate provided job-shadow and clinical experiences this summer; Miss Barton described an IT summer with 14 students performing 28 job shadows totaling about 112 hours and 25 rising sophomores earning college computer science credits at Cayuga Community College.
Students described specific summer experiences. Cassandra (Cassie) Gilliam, a senior in the health sciences pathway, said she shadowed in medical intensive care units and observed surgeries and transplant procedures; she described deciding against some rotations and embracing others as a result of direct exposure. Cassie said she expects to enter college with dozens of earned credits and that the early exposure helped her refine her career choice toward CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) training. Max Scipione, an IT pathway student who spent the summer on district IT work and at local firms, described hands-on hardware and help-desk duties, and said he plans to pursue electrical engineering or related studies after graduation.
District staff and board members highlighted employer partnerships and the program’s workforce-development value. Administrators noted students begin on-campus college classes early in their high school careers (students board buses to the college campus for morning classes), and that the program helps students earn free college credits while trying careers before committing to a college major. Board members and staff also described partnership-led benefits such as internships converting to local hires and the district purchasing professional clothing (polos/scrubs) through grant funds so students appear and act “work-ready” during employer site visits.
Key program numbers and logistics the board discussed: - IT summer job shadows: 14 students completed 28 job-shadow sessions for an estimated 112 total hours. - Early college credits: roughly 25 rising sophomores earned college CS credits at Cayuga Community College; students reported earning approximately 40–48 college credits during their pathways to date (student-reported, approximate). - Cohort sizes: administration reported about 34 students currently in the ninth-grade health-science cohort and about 28 in the IT cohort.
Administrators said the program is exploring expansion options such as advanced manufacturing or education pathways and exploring regional partnerships so neighboring districts can share pathway offerings. Board members praised the program’s ability to keep local talent in the region and to provide both college credit and job-readiness skills.
The board asked program staff to continue reporting outcomes and to bring alumni/employer feedback to future meetings so the program can adapt course offerings and credentials that match local labor demand.
Cassie and Max’s presentations were described by board members as strong testimonials that the pathways provide both experiential clarity for career choice and savings on college costs.
