ORANGEBURG S.C. – Orangeburg County School District and Orangeburg County Technical College will officially announce their partnership to ensure that every OCSD senior has the opportunity to attend college - ‘The Hope Initiative' on April 27, 2023, on the campus of OCtech. As a result of this partnership, Orangeburg County School District will be among the first in the state, where 100% of the graduating class will receive acceptance to a college.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for all OCSD students to attend college, should they choose to, upon graduation,” said OCSD Superintendent Dr. Shawn D. Foster. “We know the tremendous potential that all OCSD students have, and through the ‘HOPE Initiative, all of our students will have the opportunity to achieve success when they leave OCSD," Dr. Foster continued.

“The impetus to create the ‘HOPE Initiative was that there are some children who have not decided what life after high school will be - they are still undecided on what they will do after they graduate, and they don't have much hope," shared Dr. Veronica Scott, OCSD Secondary Schools Director. "For some students, high school graduation is the finish line, but knowing that it doesn't have to be, is why we created this wonderful opportunity," she continued.
 
The transcripts of all OCSD and CCSD students were reviewed and audited, and during the inaugural ‘Hope Imitative’ ceremony, all students will receive their provisional acceptance to OCtech. The OCSD and CCSD students who choose to will then, in tandem with the OCtech team, finalize admittance into a degree or certification program.

“It was important to OCtech to ensure that all children in Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties have access to a high-quality education that provides them with bright futures,” said Dr. Walt Tobin, OCtech President. “At OCtech, we know that supporting and investing in the future of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties students is important and will positively impact the future of our community," he continued.

“We know that we have students who have decided their future after high school, but we also know that we have students who have not decided,” shared Dr. S. Foster. “We wanted to remove any barrier that our students may have as they make plans for their future – and the HOPE Initiative removes that barrier,” he continued.

The ‘HOPE Initiative’ celebration will occur on Thursday, April 27, 2023, on the campus of OCtech in the Roquemore Auditorium beginning at 9:30 a.m., with the seniors from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School and Edisto High School. The students from Branchville High, Bethune-Bowman High, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High, Lake Marion High, and North High will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. You can find the live-streamed event on the OCtech homepage at www.octech.edu, or on the OCSD homepage, www.ocsdsc.org.

For more information about OCSD's 'Hope Initiative,' contact Dr Veronica Scott at veronica.scott@ocsdsc.org.