Dallas College program helps students get debt-free degrees

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - For so many Americans, the cost of college creates a significant economic hardship. 

That's why for more than 15 years, Dallas College has funded a program with the Dallas Independent School District and other local districts to create a debt-free option.

Growing up, Illias Gomez thought college wasn't in the cards. 

 "None of my family members have ever been to college," he said. "A lot of people that I grew up with never even thought about college either."

As a middle school student, he was introduced to P-TECH, which is short for Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools. The program would allow him to earn a high school diploma from Conrad High School and an associate's degree from Dallas College at the same time for no cost. 

"Coming from a single mother, it's very difficult for her to be catching up with all the payments for the house and the car so going to college for free.. it felt comforting," he said. "It felt like this was the right path."

In just four years, he's developed the skills needed to be successful in the video game industry, even securing an internship with a developer. 

"I've made two mobile apps with him and they were all paid!" he said. 

Now, as he approaches graduation, he and other Dallas ISD P-TECH students are being honored. 

"Overall Dallas College has had more than 2,000 students each year for the past two years earn associates degrees," Anna Mays said.

"It really moves them into a new stratosphere,"  Dr. Shawnda Navarro Floyd said. "One that they could only dream of."

Gomez has been accepted to the University of North Texas and has big plans for his future. 

"The end goal is to have my own gaming studio and to actually go back to Conrad and be an industry partner for them, kind of giving back what they gave me," he said. 

His success has inspired his mom. 

"She was able to see the amount of work that I was doing and was like if he can do it, I can do it," he said. "I helped her kind of ease into the classes, kind of help her understand what it is to be a college student  and now we're on track to graduate together." 

Dallas ISD's website states:

"The P-TECH/ECHS/Collegiate Academies are designed to serve incoming ninth grade students who have the determination to attend college, are first-generation college students, and have been historically underrepresented in higher education.

Each campus will accept 125 ninth grade students per year, but some may have fewer – we recommend checking with the campus you are interested in. Interested eighth graders who will be freshmen in the fall can apply here."