A record number of N.J. students are earning associate’s degrees with their high school diplomas. Meet three of them.

When Jasmine Thach began high school four years ago, she wanted to balance academics and extracurricular activities to pursue her college dreams.

By sophomore year, Thach was enrolled in her first college course. She began taking as many as five classes a semester — enough credits to obtain an associate’s degree in May from Camden County College.

Thach picked up her second diploma when she graduated in June as valedictorian from Camden County Technical Schools in Pennsauken.

“I knew that I could do it,” said Thach, 18, of Pennsauken. “I didn’t know how lucky I was.”

Thach is among a record group of 367 students enrolled in New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical schools who graduated with associate’s degrees this year while attending high school. That amounts to 30 more than the previous year, said Jackie Burke, executive director of the NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.

“It’s a great outcome,” said Burke. “This is really an attractive option that more people are looking at.”

Once considered an option mostly for students to pursue skilled trades, vocational-technical schools have become increasingly competitive and are attracting students who want a different pathway to college or careers.

In a tough economy, the vocational-technical schools make it easier and more affordable for students to earn credit for college-level work. Many have partnerships with county colleges and other nearby two- and four-year colleges, Burke said.

“It’s a reflection of students seeing the value of getting a head start,” Burke said. “This is really a way to save on those costs.”

Of the 367 students graduating this year, 31 are from Camden County Technical Schools, which has campuses in Gloucester Township and Pennsauken. The Gloucester County Institute in Deptford has 17 graduates. Burlington County Institute of Technology has students who earned some credits, but none who obtained the full associate’s degree. Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland had the second-highest in the state, with 60 graduates.

For the 2024-25 school year, more than 35,000 students were enrolled in New Jersey’s county-vocational schools. The schools are selective; only about 12,000 of the nearly 30,000 who apply annually statewide are accepted.

Students may study a wide range of disciplines, from traditional vocational fields like cosmetology and construction to engineering and health science.

Under the Early College Associate Degree (ECAD) program, counselors work with students to meet their high school requirements while earning an associate’s degree and attending some of their classes on college campuses.

In most cases students earn credits at a significantly reduced cost or free. Students can enter four-year colleges as sophomores or juniors, amounting to big savings in time and money.

Here are the stories of a few of this year’s graduates:

With two siblings already in college, Thach wanted to help ease the financial burdens for her parents. She volunteered as a tutor and participated in performing arts and the newspaper club, all while maintaining her grades.

She graduated from Camden County College with an associate’s degree in liberal arts and sciences, and from Camden County Technical Schools in Pennsauken.

In a nod to her Cambodian heritage, she learned to play the kong thom, a traditional Cambodian musical instrument consisting of gongs, and the violin. Every Sunday she travels with her family to Arlington, Va., to take lessons, part of their quest to preserve their culture.

While her mother and sister learned traditional Cambodian dances, Jasmine discovered a passion for music. “I have two left feet,” she quipped.

Jasmine received a full scholarship to attend Johns Hopkins University where she plans to major in applied math and statistics.

She wants to become an actuary and eventually obtain a doctorate and become a college professor.

“I’m very big on math,” she said.

Education has become a family affair for Yeheira Acosta, with her parents and younger sister following in her footsteps to make a better life.

She graduated in June from Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland and picked up an associate’s degree in computer science from Rowan College of South Jersey.

A first-generation college student, Acosta has inspired her family. A younger sister is also on track to earn an associate‘s degree while in high school. Her father recently enrolled in a DeVry University online cybersecurity program, and her mother is pursuing a GED.

Acosta, 18, of Vineland, plans to study AI at Vanderbilt University, where she earned a full ride. A Yankees fan, she wants to work in the sports industry.

Although she is excited about the next chapter, Acosta said she will miss her family and her church, the Life of Faith in Vineland, where she provides technical support.

“I‘m just really grateful, not everyone has the same opportunity,” she said. “I don’t take it for granted.”

The youngest of three siblings, Max Yeung has set his sights on becoming a personal injury lawyer and a public service advocate.

He obtained an associate’s degree in prelaw from Rowan College of South Jersey in Sewell. Yeung said following a computer science track at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology and an internship he got along the way helped him realize that law is his passion.

Yeung said he landed an internship at an Audubon law firm with assistance from a college professor. His top priority was completing as many credits as possible.

At his high school, Yeung, 17, of Sewell, founded a nonpartisan civics group that registered students to vote. He was also president of the National Honor Society.

“It was a lot of juggling. There were a lot of moments when I had to huddle down,” he said. “It helped me understand what the college environment looked it.”

Yeung plans to attend Rowan University as a law justice major. Depending on how many credits transfer, he may graduate in a year or two and then hopes to attend Rutgers-Camden Law School.