High School Students Successfully Complete First Year of Aero CHI
A group of high school students were recently congratulated and officially admitted into the second part of their college-level education with Hallmark University. These students from NEISD enrolled in Hallmark’s Aerospace College Head-start Institute (Aero CHI) this past fall, a free program designed for high school students to complete nearly half of their AAS degree in Airframe and Powerplant Technology while in high school, saving them a great deal of time and over $10,000 in tuition when they continue their education with Hallmark University.
Students received training on a range of different aeronautical assets at Aero CHI, such as live jet engines and a small fleet of aircraft located at Hallmark’s Aviation Campus at the San Antonio International Airport. This group of students will return in the fall when NEISD resumes classes. A second cohort of students will join Aero CHI as well, highlighting the interest in one of San Antonio’s anchor industries, aviation.
“It’s a pleasure having these students here and getting them an early start on their aviation careers,” said Doretta Gutierrez, Dean of the College of Aeronautics at Hallmark University. “If they enroll as full-time students and continue on right after high school, they will only have about 12 months left and could graduate with 2 associate’s degrees and an A&P license at 18 or 19 years old. This is an awesome opportunity for students interested in aviation.”
Hallmark University launched Aero CHI with NEISD when the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation released a report depicting the need for more employees to work in the aviation maintenance industry, with Boeing projecting a worldwide need for 648,000 new aviation maintenance technicians over the next 20 years. The success that Aero CHI has seen would not have been possible if not for the partnership and support between NEISD and Hallmark, showcasing the groups’ commitment to providing thrilling new opportunities to the community’s youth.