Students at youth authority facility earn associate’s degrees from RCC

SOUTHERN OREGON, —Rogue Community College and the Oregon Youth Authority, are celebrating the success of two students, who recently earned their associate’s degrees.

The students are the first to earn college degrees, while incarcerated at the Rogue Valley Youth Correctional Facility, according to the youth authority. The young men earned their associate of arts, and Oregon transfer degrees, from RCC

New Bridge High School, located at the facility, recently began expanding its college offerings, making them more of a priority.

“Both of these young men have really come a long way in their time in custody, I was talking with some of their treatment team earlier and they both just had amazing things to say how hard they have worked in their time with us,” said Sarah Evans with the Oregon Youth Authority.

All youth in OYA custody, are required to attend school, until completing their GED, or high school diploma. The college says that incarcerated people who participate in educational programs while in custody are 43% less likely to be arrested for another crime, than those who do not.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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