by Jen Myers

LOWELL – Two members of the Lowell High School Class of 2023, who participated in the Early College Program while at Lowell High School, have been named Early College Student Policy Fellows by the Mass Alliance for Early College.

The Early College Policy Fellowship is a paid 6-month fellowship program designed to elevate student voices and build leadership, policy, and advocacy skills among Massachusetts students with former Early College experience. The fellows are role models and leaders in strengthening, promoting, and expanding Early College in Massachusetts. As fellows they will be provided with training in public and civic engagement, legislative advocacy, traditional and social media communications, and grassroots organizing.

This year’s cohort includes 12 students and marks the first time in the program’s three-year existence that Lowell students have been chosen to participate.

The Lowell students are:

Nnadubem Austin Ganobi, who took Early College classes at Middlesex Community College. He is currently enrolled at MCC studying Computer Science and is expected to graduate in 2025.

“Before I joined the Early College Program, I was skeptical on how well I would perform in college-level courses,” Ganobi said. “Early College helped me gain confidence in my academic abilities and eased my worries on pursuing higher education. I’m excited to join the Early College Fellowship because I hope to inspire other students to take advantage of these opportunities.”

Ivan Kim, who took Early College classes at Middlesex Community College and is now studying Chemistry at UMass Lowell. He is expected to graduate from UML in 2027.

“I never felt more successful that when I saw on my college transcript that I was at a sophomore level before officially entering my first year of college,” Kim said. “The thought of what I can do with an extra year while still graduating on time amazes me! I want all students with a strong passion for learning to have access to Early College programs just as I did.”