Holland High School senior Clofas (CJ) Campos Jr. and 70 other area students are back on track for graduation thanks to a summer school tuition grant from Primera Plastics Inc. that allowed them to make up lost credits.
Campos, 17, passed Algebra II and Social Studies classes he had failed. He picked up a third class, putting him back on schedule to graduate with the class of 2014.
“Having tuition to go to school this summer was a big help for me. I had a slow start in my freshman and sophomore years and didn’t apply myself to studying as much as I should have and failed some subjects,” said Campos who is hoping to go to college for a career in the health care field.
Primera Plastics President Noel Cuellar, a Holland High graduate, provided $5,000 in grants split evenly between Holland Public Schools and West Ottawa summer programs to defer the cost of tuition and help students make up lost ground in their classes.
All of the students that received tuition grants from Primera Plastics passed their courses at West Ottawa and Holland High School. Cuellar said he gave the grant money to encourage students to stay in school, graduate and pursue careers. “I wasn’t the greatest student when I was in high school. It was only after I graduated and started work did I come to appreciate how education can change your life,” said Cuellar who started college in his late 20s taking night classes in plastics manufacturing while holding a full-time job.
“Having tuition to go to school this summer was a big help for me. I had a slow start in my freshman and sophomore years and didn’t apply myself to studying as much as I should have and failed some subjects,” said Campos who is hoping to go to college for a career in the health care field.
Photo courtesy of Holland Sentinel
