PHOENIX — Arizona's high school graduation rate remains one of the lowest in the entire nation, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. There's a group in our state that's not only trying to change that but also trying to help shape kids' futures beyond graduation.
"If you're able to learn, you're able to go wherever you want in this world."
It's an important lesson Trevion "Tre" Turman has mastered at a young age.
At just 17 years old, Turman is already paving the way for himself to have a wonderful future, but this West Point High School junior tells ABC15 it wasn't always that way.
"I used to get in trouble a lot in elementary school," Turman says. "My sister always told me, 'You know you have an influence on the classroom. Why not do something good with it?'"
Thanks to a shift in his mindset and help from the group Jobs for Arizona's Graduates, or JAG, Turman was able to do that and so much more.
"His motivation wasn't there, but his leadership skills were always there," explains Trinetta Lipsey, JAG's Programs and Training Director.
JAG works alongside Turman's school district, Tolleson Union, and dozens of others across the state to help students break down barriers that might be standing in their way.
"Students need the exposure and the experience where maybe they didn't before due to issues of their past that they have no control over," Lipsey says.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Arizona's graduation rate was 77.3% for the 2021-2022 school year - one of the lowest in the nation.
JAG says the graduation rate for their students is 99% and credits their ability to nurture students, provide one-on-one attention, and let them know the sky is the limit.
"To have someone hear your voice and know that you have been heard and they understand what you want to do and support your goals, that's the importance of our program," Lipsey says.
JAG also partners with universities, trade schools, businesses, and other nonprofits, making these students the architects of their own futures.
Turman says before participating in JAG, he didn't even know college would be an option for him.
Last Fall, Turman got the chance to fly to Washington, D.C. - his very first time on a plane - to go on a college tour where he especially fell in love with Howard University.
"To watch him walk the campus was....it kind of takes your breath away because you get to see these students...He got to see himself in a light of, 'this is where I see me,'" explains Lipsey.
"JAG definitely helped me put all the pieces together," says Turman. "It's kind of like I was a flower and I didn't bloom yet until I got into JAG."
A professional path, a personal mission
"We really try to make the students understand how important they are - not just to us, but to themselves and their communities."
Seeing themselves like they never have before - JAG's President and CEO Marjorie DeRubeis says that's really the essential goal of the program and it's something they've been able to help tens of thousands of students accomplish.
"You have those students who know we really are there to help them succeed and magic happens," explains DeRubeis.
For DeRubeis, the group provides not only a professional path but also a personal mission.
Hear more from DeRubeis in the video player below:
"I have been that kid who really could have used the extra help," she says.
Growing up in the Bronx, DeRubeis was raised by parents who had immigrated from Haiti. She started kindergarten not knowing much English and oftentimes felt out of place.
"I struggled so much throughout school. And my parents were so wonderful and so well-meaning. And they were doing everything they could - working two jobs each, putting me in good schools, but I really didn't have that support or guidance."
And those are exactly the kinds of students JAG aims to help — those who may need extra support to leap over life's hurdles. From there, JAG works alongside a number of partners in the community to help students create a plan of action.
"It's really transformative and it's just remarkable."
"Do you see some of yourself in your students?" ABC15's Nick Ciletti asked.
"I do! Sometimes, I look at these students and I know what they have overcome, and I can't believe that they are here. They are survivors. They are resilient. They want to succeed. Nothing is going to stop them. They come from things I honestly don't know I would have dealt with it."
This school year alone, more than 2,000 Arizona students are enrolled in JAG.
Since JAG started in Arizona in 1991, more than 40,000 people have taken part.
For information on JAG and all the services and resources they provide, head to their website.
