Students have headed back to school in North Texas with the usual mix of excitement and nervousness.
Perhaps it was felt a bit more here at Kipp Oak Cliff Academy, the high school opened its doors this week on a college campus.
"It's awesome, you're in a new environment, you feel comfortable, safer, happier. I'm happy in the building," said Valeria Reyes, a student.
Oak Cliff Academy is now inside one of the buildings that wasn't being used at Paul Quinn College.
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Now high schoolers aren't just taking college classes in high school but taking them on a college campus and the college gets a pipeline of brand new students.
Administrators at the school say they're already seeing the synergy.
"I'm actually going to know that student. 'Oh we're cool, he helped me with math,' and so now we have that direct lifeline which we know specifically for students of color that access piece and feeling like they have advocacy and a connection point in colleges is really the difference between staying on and finishing or leaving early," said Wauneta Van, Principal, KIPP Oak Cliff Academy.
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You may have heard that Paul Quinn College also partnered with Dallas ISD to create a middle school on campus.
"We've created a pathway for everyone in that family to improve their stature of life," said Michael Sorrells, President, Paul Quinn College.
Dallas ISD hopes to add a high school here as well, it's all part of the master plan to better connect this historically black college to its community, and help students know what it can offer them in life whether it's at this school or another.
