Harford County Public Schools students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Edgewood High School were offered more than $21.5 million in college scholarships this year, the highest total for an IB graduating class at the school, according to the school system.

A news release stated that 46 students completed the program with each student averaging $469,000 in scholarship offers.

The IB program is an internationally recognized curriculum designed for high school students. It emphasizes critical thinking, intercultural understanding and academic depth through six key subject areas including a Theory of Knowledge course, a 4,000-word extended essay and a commitment to creativity, activity and service. The program is a rigorous course one step above Advanced Placement courses.

Harford’s IB program is housed at Edgewood High, but students from any of the county’s high schools may attend. A competitive admissions process admits up to 50 students each year, based on academic achievement in middle school, participation in advanced math courses, and an interview.

“The IB program prepares students not only for success in higher education, but also to become well-rounded, globally minded individuals,” IB Coordinator Jamie Childs said in the news release. “Their success stands as a testament to what can be accomplished with determination, support and a commitment to excellence.”

This year’s graduating class   received scholarship offers from colleges and universities around the country including full scholarships to schools such as Coppin State University, the University of Delaware, University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Students also were accepted at the University of Maryland, Loyola University Maryland and the University of Delaware.

Dakota Dukes, an IB program student, earned more $360,000 in scholarship offers. She said her perspective on completing schoolwork changed once she entered the program.

“Once I started IB, I was exposed to the idea of doing schoolwork to genuinely learn from it,” she said in the news release. “The work enriched my passion for learning and pushed me to understand the world around me, rather than just pass tests and get good grades.”

Dukes earned the Auburn University Academic Charter Scholarship and will be attending the university to major in finance.

Ava Demcher received offers totaling $500,000 and will attend Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to study television, radio and film. Demcher said in the news release that the IB program helped her access her passion for writing and hone her skills.

“Once I found my passion, I found my dream school, but during admissions I almost gave up on that dream because of cost,” Demcher said. “This program helped me stand out from an insanely competitive pool of applicants, and I was selected as a Leadership Scholar. Now I can attend my dream school and start my path to becoming a director and screen writer.”

Elroni Berhanu, earned about $1.2 million in scholarship offers including the Victors Award from the University of Michigan. Berhanu said the IB program prepared him for college by helping him develop his critical thinking skills, a global perspective and a solid understanding of the different connections between different subjects.

“Its rigorous curriculum showed colleges I was challenging myself and helped me develop strong writing skills for college and scholarship applications,” he said in the news release.

Berhanu will attend the University of Michigan to major in actuarial mathematics with a minor in economics.

Other students in the program said it pushed them academically, made them more visible to competitive colleges around the country and put them one step closer to achieving their higher education goals.

“This achievement reflects the students’ hard work, the high standards of the IB Programme and the strong support from their teachers and mentors,” Childs said in the news release. “Their dedication, resilience and ambition are something we can all look up to.”

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