A number of DeKalb Early College Academy students spent part of their summer taking college courses, thanks to the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.

Fitzgerald-funded scholarships enabled nine DECA students to attend summer school at Georgia Perimeter and move toward graduating from high school and college simultaneously. 

Award recipient Blaine Allen Jr. is an aspiring lawyer. “My plan for achieving the associate’s degree in criminal justice is becoming more and more of a reality with each course that I take and successfully pass,” Allen says.

The Fitzgerald scholarship covered tuition and fees for students taking summer classes online or face-to-face on Clarkston Campus. DECA students normally take college classes only during the academic year.

Earlier this year, the Fitzgerald Foundation awarded GPC its first $1 million private gift as part of an ambitious plan to increase access and boost retention, transfer and graduation rates among some of the state’s most underserved students.

DECA, a joint venture between GPC and the DeKalb County School District, enables college-ready high school students from underrepresented groups to spend their first two years of high school at the academy in Stone Mountain and their final two at Georgia Perimeter’s Clarkston Campus.

“Grades officially come out on July 28, but many students have reported that they did very well in their summer classes,” says Kathryn Hall, DECA director.