Ponitz Pathway
Ponitz Pathway
A life-changing partnership
Ponitz Pathway helps students fulfill their potential after high school and beyond
Ponitz Pathway is an innovative partnership between Kettering College and the Dayton Public Schools. Established in 2007, the program offers extensive career and college preparation activities for 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students in Ponitz’s allied health program, one of 13 career-oriented tracks. Kettering College employees provide health career counseling; classroom-based instruction on topics such as interview skills and financial literacy; science-related field trips; job shadowing; and mentoring. These activities complement the career-oriented curriculum that Ponitz teachers and guidance counselors deliver.
Everything about Ponitz Pathway is geared toward removing barriers to academic and career success.
Support Ponitz Pipeline
A new fund established by Kettering Health Network’s former chief executive officer and his wife provides financial assistance to Ponitz Pathway participants who attend Kettering College and need help with non-tuition expenses.
Awards from the Carmen and Frank Perez Fund can mean the difference between a student graduating or dropping out because of financial concerns related to paying for books, uniforms, rent, groceries or other necessities.
Frank Perez, Kettering Health’s chief executive officer from 1992 to 2011, was a vocal supporter of the Pathway when it was established in 2008. This gift will help ensure that Ponitz grads at Kettering College have the resources they need to graduate and pursue the careers of their choice.
For information on starting a scholarship fund at Kettering College, contact 937-395-8607.
Ponitz Pipeline Personnel
Professor Susan McLaughlin Price is the Founder of the Kettering Health Network’s Ponitz Pathway (formerly Pipeline) program in 2006 as a means to increase the representation of health care professionals within our community. Working with Ms. Niki Ross, the allied health instructor at the Ponitz Career Technology Center, a public high school in Dayton, Ohio, they built a curriculum for Ponitz students to act as a pathway to college and a health care profession. The pathway program provides interested students with mentors, career counseling, science field trips, college preparation activities, job shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. Susan has been a faculty member at Kettering College since 1991 and completed a doctorate at the University of Dayton in 2008.
Pamela Wilson currently acts as the Community Liaison on the Allied Health Advisory Board to the KHN Ponitz Pathway Program, just one of the many ways she has worked for the program since its inception. Her past roles included coordinating the program’s events, negotiating the pathway’s budget, overseeing weekly school visits by the student counselors, and acting as a liaison between the program and other departments within the network. Pamela is not new to community service or youth advocacy; in fact, she received the Youth Mentor Collaborative Award from the City of Dayton in 2006. At the present time, Ms. Wilson works as the Site and Clinical Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program, a title that puts her degree in Organizational Management from Wilberforce University to good use.
Mission Statement:
The David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center/Kettering College Pathway program supports high school students with the education and skills needed for healthcare careers. By enhancing access and readiness across geographical, financial, and cultural backgrounds, this partnership strengthens the future workforce and improves healthcare for all.