Jakob and Hunter Zona, twin brothers and members of the first Early Middle College cohort in St. Joseph County, found that the program saved them money and launched them into careers they enjoy.
Members of the Centreville High School Class of 2018, Hunter and Jakob started their sophomore year with one class at ĚÇĐÄVlog and the remainder at Centreville, gradually taking more college classes and fewer high school classes. The program culminated in a 13th year fully on Glen Oaks’ campus, after which each received an associate’s degree in general business.
Following graduation in 2019, both headed to Michigan State University, where they ultimately chose to pursue the field of supply chain management.
Jakob said his interest in the subject was piqued by seeing the impact COVID had on the supply chain.
Currently he works in Holland, doing production planning for an office furniture manufacturer – creating the daily schedule for an assembly line and calculating how much demand there is for the product. Previously he worked in raw materials and a buyer role – pricing, components makeup, and sourcing.
“I like what I’m doing now – it’s challenging and interesting,” he said.
When a similar job came open in a different plant at his company, Jakob suggested to Hunter (at the time working in the automotive industry) that he apply. Impressed with the work ethic of their current employee, leadership made Hunter an offer and he started October 7 as a material planner.
While at Glen Oaks, both appreciated the mentorship of business professor Dr. Lester Keith, with whom they stay in touch. As they discussed with him their interests and what might be next after Glen Oaks, Keith encouraged them to get their master’s degrees early – while their lives still had some flexibility. Jakob just started his MBA studies online through the University of Iowa; though Hunter plans to wait a year or so before beginning a program, it remains very much on his radar.
They are thankful for the foundation given to them by the Early Middle College program, which allowed them to transfer 60 credits to MSU: shaving three semesters off the time they needed to complete their degrees, reducing their college costs by thousands of dollars, and allowing them to focus more on their studies.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to go through the program, save money, get a good education, and get set up for what I wanted,” Hunter said.