DECO program celebrates student success
By gaining workplace knowledge through internships and acing college-level courses, students in the Danbury Early College Opportunity program at Danbury High School are making the most of their experiences.
On June 13, DECO held its Internship Exposition and Celebration at DHS. Several students from the program’s first cohort, now in their third year, shared their internship projects. Other students received awards for their exceptional academic performance in the program.
DHS junior Maria DeSouza interned this semester with Dream House Realty, handling its monthly mailings.
“I learned business etiquette through DECO and how to apply that in a work setting,” Maria said. “I’m glad that I gained this experience -- it opened doors to opportunities I would not have had.”
Britta Pedersen, owner of Dream House Realty in Danbury, said Maria surpassed her expectations during her internship.
“Maria really stepped up to the plate,” Pedersen said. “She went above her tasks understanding the business beyond busywork. Maria brought a different attitude. Her expectation was to learn and find out what the business was about.”
Sebastian Arreola, also a junior, got firsthand experience as a one-on-one experience in customer service at Ingersoll Auto in Danbury.
“I got to see how they work and how to communicate,” Sebastian said. “I learned how to approach someone and how to do a good job on what you’re working on. Without this, I would just try to get the work done. It makes me focus instead of rushing.”
Jerfrey Martinez interned for AcquireWeb in Newtown and will continue working there over the summer, creating ads and marketing campaigns.
“I look forward to continuing this,” Jerfrey said. “I learned a lot about the workplace that has helped me.”
“I learned that I want to go into marketing or communication,” Jenna said. “DECO gave me exposure to companies and taking college courses. It’ll help me in the future.”
At the exposition, five students were recognized for earning a nearly perfect average for the semester in their computer courses: Storm Jacobs, Gabriela Galarza, Luke Lefflbine, Hannah Hodgdon and Adriana Salazar.
Six students were recognized for earning more than 15 college credits while maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better: Katherine Naulaguari, Gabriel Campos, Endy Macancela, Lucio Bellantoni, Teddy Hodgdon and Jerfrey Martinez.
Two students have earned more than 30 credits from NVCC with a 3.0 GPA or better: Francis Sanchez and Tyler Vittorini.
DECO, under the direction of coordinator Dr. Sarah Roy, gives students an opportunity to earn an Associate Degree simultaneously with their high school diploma. The degree program is offered by Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) at the high school as part of the program’s curriculum. Students begin accelerating their high school requirements so that by sophomore or junior year they can begin incorporating college-level courses. They can expect to complete the Associate Degree in four, five or six years. Some courses may take place at NVCC’s Danbury campus. DHS is the second high school in Connecticut to offer such a program.
There are 77 students in the first cohort, 61 in the second and 65 freshmen students who started the third cohort last September.