On Tuesday, May 9 at 9:30 am, 2200 Stuart Avenue, Albany ARC will host its 20th annual graduation ceremony for Westover students who have completed another year of a collaborative project that provides special training and educational opportunities for students with disabilities, High School/High Tech.

Each year’s class has a theme centered on an inspirational quote.  This year, #BelieveIt comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s saying, “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”
 
A collaboration between Albany Advocacy Resource Center and Dougherty County School System, High School/High Tech is a curriculum-based program that gives graduation credit to participating students, while focusing on improving graduation test scores to help advance their education.  Graduating seniors that have enrolled in college courses for the upcoming fall semester will receive scholarships.
 
Every year, a High School/High Tech alum is invited to return to share his/her success story with the current class. This year’s speaker is Brianna McDowell, who is a Dougherty County native who was born blind in 1994.  After attending  Lamar Reese Elementary and Merry Acres Middle, McDowell graduated with honors from Westover High School in 2013.  Never allowing her sight limitations to hold her back, McDowell now attends Albany State University and will be graduating with her associate’s degree this month.  She is majoring in social work and hopes to become a psychiatrist or a mental health counselor helping victims of rape and domestic violence.  McDowell credits her experience with High School/High Tech for teaching her that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to.