Most students come to school at 8:40 and leave at 3:43, but juniors and seniors who choose to attend the Lake County Tech Campus have a different high school experience. They spend periods three through six traveling to the College of Lake County where they take classes in specialized courses.
Amelia Dargis, senior, has taken two years of Tech Campus. Last year, she took criminal justice and this year she is enrolled in law enforcement. Though she started at Tech Campus hoping for a change in her usual schedule, she ended up loving the classes which helped her realize what she wants to do in the future. Next year, she will go to Eastern Kentucky University where she will major in Criminal Justice.
“I had an A in criminal justice; I have an A in law enforcement. [With Tech Campus], you’re learning new things and it gives you college credit,” Dargis said. “It gives you a head start on college.”
Outside of school, Dargis participates in Police Explorers, and she is a student ambassador for the law enforcement program, helping to promote Tech Campus. She learned that she wanted a career in criminal justice through the opportunities Tech Campus gave her.
“[Our teachers] brought in a lot of guest speakers. They brought in Elliot Pincel, one of the most successful defense attorneys in the state. He’s cool. We did a mock trial, and it was really, really fun,” Dargis said.
Along with Criminal Justice courses, Tech campus offers 19 other programs in cosmetology, culinary arts, biomedical science, and many other subjects to further high students across Lake County’s learning. One of these students, Sarah Fogel, senior, is enrolled in the Law Enforcement program with Dargis.
“Amelia is our student ambassador so the class looks toward her for leadership. She helps some of the kids that struggle,” Fogel said.
As a leader in the class, Dargis thrives in her Tech Campus courses in a way she has not in the rest of her school experience. In her Tech classes she gets college credit and learns practical skills that will apply in her future career as a cop or in CSI.
“It’s actually a lot easier than some high school classes, for me. I’m an A, B, C, student but in Tech I always get A’s,” Dargis said. “I’m learning how to handcuff people and hearing from actual [people working in law enforcement or criminal justice]. I [also] got to pick classes I actually like so it’s better.”
