SPAN Division alumni find success in their pursuits after the program

The IUPUI SPAN Division provides opportunities for academically motivated high school students to take college classes. The SPAN Division offers six accelerated college immersion programs: the Running Start Program, the Upper-Class Program, the CyberTEENs Program, the Computer Tech Scholars Program, the Take6 Program, and the Nanotechnology Program (NEST). 

The SPAN Division was established at IUPUI in 1984 as the campus hub for all accelerated college immersion and early college entrance programming for pre-college-aged students. Participants enroll in college courses taught on campus by IUPUI faculty and attend classes with regular IUPUI students. JR Russell is the current director of the SPAN Division and shares how the program works for high school students. 

“Through the immersion model, our students benefit from a genuine college course experience while being nurtured at a high level with a full complement of wrap-around student and academic support services,” Russell said.

Thomasina Watts started taking college courses at IUPUI through the SPAN Division during her junior year at Crispus Attucks High School. Watts later gained a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from IUPUI and credits the program for helping her focus on her studies and decide what she wanted to do.

“It was a huge part of going to Crispus Attucks, being able to take part in the SPAN program and take different classes,” Watts said. “I took English W131, and then I took a speech writing class, and I took some other things as well. I took my first anthropology class while I was still in high school, and that kind of got me on my path.” 

Watts’ mother encouraged her to pursue courses through the program.  

“My mother worked at and still works at IUPUI,” Watts said. “She's good friends with Dr. Johnny Russell, and he really encouraged—she supported the SPAN program making the partnership with my high school. She was really supportive of me going to this school so that I could take advantage of and learn about college credit and move forward in my career, starting it a little bit earlier.” 

Watts earned her Master of Science in Public Health from the Population Family and Reproductive Health program at Johns Hopkins University. She is now a Senior Research Project Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University and works in the Department of Mental Health at the School of Public Health, with potential hopes of pursuing a doctorate.

“Taking the actual college credit classes were really an eye-opening opportunity,” Watts said. “Being able to sit in the classroom, it was more mature, like the conversations were more stimulating. It was what I was looking for while I was in high school, so it helped me focus on what I was possibly interested in with my future.”