Impacting the Lives of Students
Educational scholarships and workforce pathways change lives
When I was fortunate enough to attend the 2014 Leadership Dallas program, sponsored by the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, I realized that education was the only ticket out of poverty for many children saddled with that burden. Education is also foundational to the long term health of a student.
Fortunately, through the program I befriended Dustin Marshall, who to this day continues to inspire me in his dedication to making a difference in children’s lives through education. Through Dustin’s friendship and the influence of countless other education warriors, I decided I needed to do my part.
Coincidentally, in February 2014 I read an article in Time magazine about a collaborative partnership between the Chicago public schools, local community colleges, and businesses in Southside Chicago.
Knowing that those demographics mirrored those of Dallas, I began to knock on many doors, driven by passion.
In October 2015, I launched the PTECH™ model in Dallas (that’s Pathways in Technology—Early College High School). Modeled after the PTECH™ program created by IBM, it is a collaboration between Dallas Independent School District, Dallas College, and AT&T as the founding industry stakeholder in the program. As of the time of this writing, there are over seventy participating companies in the DFW area.
The program offers underserved kids an opportunity to get a high school diploma, earn an associate’s degree in applied science, and be first in line to interview for jobs at the industry partners for those educational and workforce pathways that they have studied. All at zero expense to the student and their family.
In 2020, over 600 kids from the inaugural class of this program graduated with Associate Degrees!
There are hundreds of people who deserve thanks for the collective effort to make this initiative a reality.
Graduates are either entering the workforce or pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree. For those choosing to further their academic study, my wife Katie and I created the Gagné Scholarship Fund. The net proceeds from Letting Your Children Lead You to God will go into this fund. You can also contribute directly to the Scholarship Fund by clicking “Donate Now” below. Thank you for impacting the lives of others!
The Gagné Scholarship Fund is in association with University of North Texas/Dallas, a long-time supporter of PTECH. You will be directed to their donation page. In the “Designation” dropdown, select “Gagne Scholarship Fund.”