Cheryl Kerison, right, an assistant professor in the School of Education, assists Frank Luzzi, a New Haven Academy student who takes college-level classes at Quinnipiac as part of an innovative partnership between the University and the New Haven Academy.

Luzzi, a senior at the New Haven magnet school, will be nearly a full semester ahead of most freshmen when he enrolls at a college in the fall, thanks to the 12 credits he will earn at Quinnipiac.

"I wanted to make sure college was for me," Luzzi said. "The best way to do this was to experience college, which helped me to realize that it was for me."

A dozen carefully selected New Haven Academy students are given the opportunity each semester to enroll in 100- and 200-level College of Arts and Sciences courses that do not require placement examinations. In many cases, the professors and other students are not aware there are high school students in class until the end of the semester.

"The students learn all the better what it means to be a successful college student," said Meredith Gavrin, program director at the New Haven Academy. She said the students learn all of the practical skills associated with being a college student. The program also helps the high school students see themselves on a university campus, which is significant since many of the students are the first in their families to pursue education beyond high school.

Gavrin said students who complete the program feel more confident in their studies and achieve greater success than peers who are even equally qualified but do not participate.

However, she said the experience goes beyond simply being on a college campus. "What we have found since the beginning is that Quinnipiac is a like-minded institution," Gavrin said. "The ways Quinnipiac thinks about educating its own students is similar to ours. It's also been an incredibly welcoming place. Our students have been really made to feel welcome."

Cheryl Kerison, an assistant professor in the School of Education, developed the program six years ago and serves as its director. Kerison, who worked as a public school principal and teacher for 24 years, described the initiative as a scholarship program. Students attend classes for free, but reapply for a spot in the program each semester. Quinnipiac covers the cost of the courses while the New Haven Academy pays for the students' books and related enrollment fees.

On Jan. 18, three students were on the Mount Carmel Campus for an orientation.

"I teach them everything from how to respond to a professor in an e-mail to how to approach their teachers and all of those things that are often taken for granted," Kerison said. "The students also gain access to a Quinnipiac e-mail address, a QCard and access to Blackboard. They are fully integrated into the Quinnipiac system." The students may also participate in campus activities and use the University's recreation services.

Luzzi described his experiences at Quinnipiac as positive. "Quinnipiac has been good to me," he said. "Having the opportunity to take my fourth class here at such an awesome school is incredible."

Luzzi, who has successfully completed courses focusing on political science, the American legal system and media communications, began a course focusing on the American government on Jan 21.

"My job is to get them here and set up the conditions necessary for them to be successful," Kerison said. "I give them access to my home phone number in case they need to call me."

To make it easier to study, the students are often placed in class sections with two or three other New Haven Academy students. To avoid missing their high school classes, the New Haven Academy students are placed in courses that begin at 2, 3 or 4 p.m.

"Generally, my students earn A and B grades in their classes," Kerison said. "It really shows how bright these youngsters are."

Upon competition, each student receives a Quinnipiac transcript. The credits may be transferred to whichever college in Connecticut the student attends, Kerison said.

Ruth-Love Damoah, a junior at the New Haven Academy, recently moved to the United States from Ghana. She said she was eager for her Quinnipiac anthropology course on indigenous people to begin.

"This is a wonderful program," Damoah said. "It's preparing us for life, and life is not always easy."