State Recognizes VCP for Educational Excellence in Student Pathways
Honor Brings Nearly $250,000 Grant Award and Featured Spot at Gala Event

More than 400 Indiana educators and guests attended the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Educational Excellence Awards Gala on Friday, September 8, to see Victory College Prep (VCP) honored with the state’s top award for Educational Excellence in Student Pathways. 

At the second annual event, VCP was presented with a $248,050 grant prize for its award win. Just 25 schools received a 2023 Educational Excellence Award out of a total of 1,800 schools operating in the state’s 291 different school districts.

Schools and districts considered for the Educational Excellence in Student Pathways were evaluated on “how they prioritize access to opportunities for work-based learning and apprenticeships for their students,” according to the award summary on the IDOE website.

VCP outshined other award candidates thanks to the scope and impact of its Firehawks Internships and Real-World Experiences (FIRE) program, which provided VCP high school juniors and seniors with nearly 80 work-based learning hours apiece during the 2022-2023 school year at the workplaces of more than 40 community partner organizations, like Dittoe PR, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis City Market, and various departments on the IUPUI campus.

Better than other award candidates, VCP and its FIRE program demonstrated:

• development of innovative community/industry partnerships; 
• implementation of locally-created graduation pathways; 
• a focus on professional development opportunities for educators supporting work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities; 
• and the expansion of access to work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities for students. 

“This is a tremendous honor for our K-12 school network,” says VCP Chief Readiness Officer Rahul Jyoti. “From students’ earliest years as kindergarteners through to their FIRE program experiences as high school seniors, our passionate team of educators and support staff work tirelessly to empower our students to thrive in college or a career.” 

“Being named the state’s top institution for Excellence in Student Pathways is a testament to the efforts of every member of our network faculty and staff team, and proof that what VCP is doing for students is unrivaled statewide,” says VCP Executive Director Ryan Gall.