P-TECH seniors earned associate degrees, too
The Bowie High School P-TECH seniors have done a lot of walking lately.
The first-ever senior class is set to walk across the stage at Bowie’s graduation on Tuesday. But for most of these students, the walk across the stage at Globe Life Field won’t be their first. Many walked last week, too, at the Tarrant County College graduation.
That’s right. They graduated with their associate degrees before they’d even received their high school diplomas.
One of the grads is Roselin Reju, Bowie’s 2025 valedictorian.
Reju and her P-TECH classmates were the first cohort in the program when they started at Bowie four years ago. P-TECHs – Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools – give students the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time.
One of four P-TECHs in Arlington ISD, Bowie’s program is the only one focused on health sciences. Students can select from four fields of study, including pharmacy technician, central sterile processing, health information systems or ophthalmology. And a close partnership with Medical City Arlington allows for work-based, real-world opportunities for the students.
“The P-TECH is particularly important because it exposes students to real-life situations as well as allowing them to connect what they learn in the classroom to what they want to be in the health care field,” said P-TECH chemistry teacher Minh Dang.
The health sciences P-TECH is the reason Reju chose to go to Bowie.
“I feel like it helps in the long run that we’re able to take these early classes and get college credit,” Reju said.
Reju didn’t just obtain her associate degree while at Bowie, she also earned her pharmacy technician certification through classes at the Arlington ISD Career and Technical Center, which allows her to work at any pharmacy in Texas right after high school.
The pharmacy experience has helped Reju clarify what she wants to do after graduation.
“By being able to experience working as a pharmacist, I realized that it wasn’t the job for me,” she said. “I actually want to be a doctor, which I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for P-TECH giving me that chance.”
Fellow graduate Juan Guzman also credits his real-world experiences through Bowie P-TECH with setting him on the career path he wants.
Bowie P-TECH seniors Ivana Joby and Juan Guzman worked part-time jobs at the dental office of Dr. Moody Alexander.
Guzman was one of two seniors who got to work as a sterilization technician in a local dental office. The paid internship allowed him to practice what he learned in the classroom in a real healthcare setting and see how everything really works.
Guzman worked two shifts a week, five to six hours a day, sterilizing and stocking equipment and setting up things for patients.
“It is really fast paced,” Guzman said. “You need to keep up with things. It’s been pretty great.”
It’s exactly why he wanted to join the P-TECH program at Bowie.
“This was to gain experience in the medical field and hopefully have a shot at college,” said Guzman, who plans to focus on nursing in college.
“It shows that I prepared, that I’m ready, that I’m determined,” Guzman said about his P-TECH experience. “I’m glad that it was an opportunity that we all were able to have.”
Congratulations to everyone in the first-ever Bowie P-TECH graduating class!
Need details about any of Arlington ISD’s 2025 graduations? Visit our graduation webpage here.