Some students wait until they’ve graduated college to begin their careers—but for Leomar Brown, he’s getting a head start while still in high school. Thanks to a unique partnership between East Penn Manufacturing and Reading Area Community College (RACC), Leomar, a senior, is already taking college-level classes in Mechatronics Engineering Technology, a program that prepares students for technical careers in industrial automation, robotics and electrical maintenance, while he’s still attending high school. And, best of all, he’s doing it for free. 

Through the East Penn scholarship program, the company covers tuition for students who are accepted into RACC’s mechatronics degree track, with the understanding that participants will commit to working at East Penn for four years after completing their associate degree. The opportunity allows students to earn college credit, gain valuable real-world experience, and move directly into a full-time position after graduation—without taking on student debt.

For Leomar, the opportunity grew out of a family connection and a natural curiosity for how things work. His father, a control technician at East Penn, first told him about the program and encouraged him to explore it. “I’ve always been into STEM and engineering,” Leomar said. “My dad showed me what he does—fixing machines, using computers to troubleshoot—and I thought, that’s something I could see myself doing too. He really pushed me to give it a try.”

Now in his first semester at RACC, Leomar is juggling two college classes along with his Exeter coursework—and he’ll add three more classes this spring. Balancing both schedules isn’t easy, especially while also playing football and running track, but Leomar said the transition to college-level work hasn’t been overwhelming. “It’s not too different from high school,” he said. “A lot of the classes I took here prepared me really well. Right now, I’m just finishing my general education classes before I start getting into more of the technical stuff.”

While he’s excited about the hands-on future the East Penn program offers, Leomar is also keeping an open mind: A talented athlete, he’s exploring opportunities to continue playing sports at the next level while considering his options for a four-year degree in engineering. “Right now, I’m seeing where sports takes me,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’ll finish my program at RACC, start working at East Penn, and then eventually go for a four-year degree.”

Leomar’s school counselor, Mrs. Nikki Daub, has worked closely with RACC and East Penn to make Leomar’s participation possible so that he can balance college coursework, athletics and graduation requirements, while also ensuring he maintains his eligibility for both PIAA and NCAA athletics in case he would be recruited to play football at a four-year university. “It’s really rewarding to see partnerships like this come together,” said Mrs. Daub. “It gives our students practical experience and connects them with local industries that need skilled workers. These kinds of programs simply didn’t exist a few years ago.”

For Leomar, the experience has already been eye-opening. “When I first heard about it, I didn’t think it was even a possibility,” he said. “But after visiting East Penn, talking with people there, and seeing what the job is really like, I realized it’s a great opportunity. I don’t think a lot of students know how many options are out there for us, even while we’re still in high school.”