Expanding a ‘world of possibilities.’ Students surprised by offer from local college.

LaMargaret Johnson and her fellow students in the Academy of Information Technology at Bryan Station High School were summoned to the school library on Tuesday where Transylvania University officials surprised them with a potentially life-altering announcement.

Beginning in 2019, all graduates of the academy will be eligible to receive a minimum $18,000 scholarship to attend Transylvania University.

“I was really surprised,” said La Margaret, 16. “It was kind of a moment of disbelief. I’m really glad that all of our students get this opportunity.”

Transylvania President Seamus Carey addressed the students saying, “The work Bryan Station and its academies are doing to empower students to become globally minded citizens goes hand-in-hand with our mission at Transylvania.

“We want students from throughout our community to know they can afford a top-level liberal arts education right here in Lexington, and we’re taking the steps to help make that happen for them.”

Academy students who apply to Transylvania by Feb. 1 of their senior year and are admitted will receive a minimum renewable scholarship of $18,000 per year, university officials said in a news release.

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk praised Transylvania’s commitment and said the scholarships expand “the world of possibilities” for the graduates of Bryan Station High School.

For La Margaret, a junior, the news came as a nice surprise. She said she had not previously considered going to Transylvania because she did not know if she could afford it.

“Now that they have this announcement, I think I’ll definitely consider them much more than I did before,” she said.

In addition to the $18,000 scholarships, academy students accepted at Transylvania are eligible for additional merit-based scholarships and financial aid opportunities, the news release said.

The average financial aid package for incoming Transylvania students is approximately $27,000 a year, Transylvania officials said. Also, students attending Transylvania are more likely to graduate in four years when compared to other Kentucky colleges, with 67.5 percent of Transy’s first-year students graduating in four years, school officials said.

“This opportunity is about removing barriers for our students and allowing them to gain access to a top notch liberal arts post-secondary education,” said former Bryan Station IT Academy Principal Carl Hayden.

The Academy of Information Technology is the longest established career academy at Bryan Station. The major pathways offered in the IT Academy are computer programming, video and cinematography and graphic design.

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 12:44 PM.