College Scholars program, hands-on learning experiences help grad to begin in IT career quickly
Keng Xiong’s Gateway Technical College journey is a first in many ways.
It’s also something that he feels will carry him a long time into his career.
Keng is one of the first two recipients of the SC Johnson STEM Scholarship to earn a degree. The program pays for tuition, fees, books and supplies for students to earn a degree in one of several science, engineering or information technology-related fields at Gateway Technical College, and then the program pays for students to complete a four-year degree at an area institution.
This also marks the first stop on Keng’s postsecondary education journey. He’s earned an Information Technology - Cybersecurity Specialist associate degree and will now transfer to Carthage College where he plans to earn a Computer Science bachelor’s degree.
The SC Johnson STEM Scholars Pathway program started with its first cohort two years ago. Keng, in high school at that time, decided to check out the scholarship and feels today that it was a great decision because of the impact it had on his finances and education.
“I wasn’t sure about it at first, but was pushed in the right direction by the right people, and I came to realize it was way more than I expected,” says Keng. “Initially, I was thinking, ‘it’s a technical school, there’s nothing crazy about it.’
“Once I came and realized the amount of hands-on experience you get, the number of students in each class and how interactive and knowledgeable all the instructors are, my mind was really changed on technical colleges. They are a great place to get an education.”
Keng has already applied what he’s learned in the workplace at a position at an area company.
“What was amazing to me was what I was learning in class, I could apply in the workplace,” says Keng. “It was almost one-to-one, exactly what we did in class, I did at work. Me realizing and seeing that in person – to use the skills I learned at college now in my work – it gave me a great feeling.”
Keng says he also benefited from being able to take online courses because they allowed him the flexibility to work while earning his degree.
“I could work in the morning and take classes in the afternoon,” says Keng. “My main focus was college, but at the same time, it was also working. I was able to get these two very important things – experience and a degree.
“I think Gateway has really set me apart from others who are graduating and others who are my age just because I was able to do both at the same time.”
Keng says he is grateful to SC Johnson and to be a part of the scholarship program that’s had such an impact on his life and education. So, what does he tell others about the scholarship?
“I like to catch them off guard and say my tuition at Gateway is completely covered, I didn’t pay anything for it,” says Keng. “That reels them in first. Then, I explain that on top of that, I get $7,500 from SC Johnson when I transfer to a four-year college, plus the college matches it, so that’s $15,000 total.
“I am just so glad I decided to be a part of this great opportunity.”