Marisa Dardagiannopoulos, coordinator of the career center at the Nashua Technology Center, was recently recognized as one of seven Early College advocates in New Hampshire. She is shown with Dr. Charles Lloyd, vice chancellor for the Community College System of New Hampshire. Courtesy photo/Community College System of New Hampshire

NASHUA – Marisa Dardagiannopoulos, coordinator of the career center at the Nashua Technology Center, was one of seven educators recently honored as Early College advocates by Gov. Kelly Ayotte.

Dardagiannopoulos received the commendation for her “commitment to increasing awareness of Early College programs.” She has been in her current position at NTC since 2019 and holds a Bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees from Rivier University.

NTC currently offers 16 career pathway programs. It is the state’s largest high school career and technical education center with 1,300 students from eight high schools in Greater Nashua.

On the state level, the Early College program, sponsored by the Community College System of New Hampshire, allows students to earn college credits while still in high school. The program is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Eligible students can take two free courses per year through the Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Scholarship program.

“Early College helps students earn credit toward a degree and gain experience in a variety of fields before they even graduate high school,” said Ayotte. “This not only saves families thousands of dollars in tuition, it also gives our young people the educational foundation and skills to thrive in the workforce of tomorrow. Thank you to our community colleges for your commitment to this exceptional program.”

Since 2022, enrollment in the Early College program has increased by 25 percent for a total of 10,863 students. During the same period of time, the number of credits earned by Early College students climbed by 28 percent for a record total of 59,840.

More than 100 New Hampshire high schools currently participate in the Early College program.

“Teachers and school counselors have played a key role in the success and steadily growing popularity of the Early College program,” said Shawna Young, director of secondary education partnerships for CCSNH. “We are honored to recognize seven Early College advocates who have been outstanding partners this year in our work to ensure that students across New Hampshire have access to high quality, diverse academic opportunities that fast track their time to a college degree or a rewarding career.”