The Indiana chapter of Jobs for America’s Graduates announced Wednesday that this year’s graduating class earned more than $24,300,000 in scholarship money.

Recipients included students from 48 Indiana counties, including Jackson County.

“The Jobs for America’s Graduates program impacts the lives of young people in an extraordinary way, and I’m thrilled to see so many Hoosiers reap the benefits of receiving their high school diplomas and earning financial aid for more education or training to begin their career,” said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who serves on JAG’s national board of directors. “JAG continues to equip Hoosiers with employable skills and provides a road map to lifelong success.”

JAG Indiana, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, is a state-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping high school students of promise who have experienced challenging or traumatic life experiences achieve success through graduation. JAG students receive adult mentoring while in school and one year of follow-up counseling after graduation.

In Jackson County, JAG programs are at Brownstown Central and Seymour high schools. In 2022, 22 local students combined to receive $166,476 in scholarship money.

Recently, JAG Indiana received the 5 of 5 Award at the 39th annual National Training Seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award recognized the Indiana program for exceeding five goals set at the national level relating to graduation rates, postsecondary education, job placement and other significant milestones.

JAG Indiana’s achievements for the 2021-22 school year include:

-94% graduation rate (national goal is 90%)

-85% full-time employment rate (national goal is 80%)

-82% positive outcome rate (national goal is 80%)

-69% job placement rate, including military (national goal is 60%)

-39% further education rate (national goal is 35%)

“The JAG Indiana program continues to be a national leader for boosting educational opportunities for Hoosier high school students,” DWD Director of Youth Initiatives Brianna Morse said. “The outcomes our students achieve are in part due to the work of the dedicated JAG Indiana staff who work year-round to transform the lives of their students in and out of the classroom through building relationships that last long after graduation.”

Since 2006, more than 40,000 students have participated in JAG Indiana with 94% graduating from high school.