James Lane Allen famously coined the phrase, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” This phrase fits Williamstown resident Jordan Hughes perfectly. After a series of unfortunate events led her to change schools twice, she is a stronger woman because of it.
At the end of the 2015-16 school year, Jordan’s freshman year, her mother, Jennifer, took her out of public schools after a laundry list of incidents. At the beginning of her sophomore year, Jordan was enrolled at St. Joseph’s in Hammonton, but that wasn’t a fit either. Within weeks, she was ready for another change.
Left with seemingly no options left, Jennifer decided to home school her daughter. In the midst of looking up information online, she found a savior in the form of a program at Rowan College at Gloucester County – the high school option program.
According to the RCGC website, students who are at least 15 years old, have completed their freshman year of high school and live within the county are eligible to take college courses at a 65 percent discount.
Because Jordan fit the bill, she could work toward her associate’s degree while simultaneously earning her high school diploma. This program made Jennifer the de facto guidance counselor, leaving her to handle the paperwork, like putting together transcripts to ensure Jordan can graduate on time.
Jordan has just completed her third year in the high school option program and accepted her diploma on May 16. She is now an advocate for the program, saying her favorite aspect is the flexibility it provides.
“I like that I didn’t have to be there for eight hours a day,” she said. “It was a lot easier to keep up with homework and study.”
Attending classes only two to three times per week for four to six hours was paramount to Jordan’s education – she finished her associate’s degree in biology with a 3.6 GPA and as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society for two-year colleges. At the request of a teacher, she joined the “Women in STEM” club.
“I had a teacher who was in charge say I should join because I would meet people who are doing the same thing,” she described. “I’ll have opportunities for mentorship to figure out what I want to do.”
Jordan was really a trailblazer of the high school option program. She said she was the only person her age in the classes she took.
“Nobody acted differently about my age,” she said. “They thought it was cool I was able to be there and I was smart enough to keep up in classes and everything.”
“It’s a different atmosphere, there’s no drama. It’s relaxing.” she added.
Even though she didn’t have the traditional high school experience, she could still reap the benefits of high school life, like going to the homecoming dance or prom if someone were to invite her. In her free time she likes to hang out with her friends and read books.
Jordan plans to attend Rowan University in the fall to study biochemistry. As a freshman with an associate’s degree in hand, she could very well be in medical school before she turns 21. Her goal is to become an anesthesiologist.
Robert Schuller is on record saying, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do,” and that phrase along with the one from the opening really sum up Jordan’s high school career. While it wasn’t the first or second choice, this path led her to walk across the stage to accept two diplomas, one for each hand.
