From AP Labs to Global Leadership: How Access to Advanced Coursework in Rural Kentucky Opens Doors to International Opportunities

Carlee O’Neal always knew she wanted to pursue a career in STEM. But at her high school in rural Morgan County, Kentucky, pursuing that dream wasn’t easy. Her school didn’t offer an advanced chemistry class which is a foundational course for many STEM pathways.

“I didn’t want to enter college without taking a chemistry class because I knew I wanted to go into a STEM field,” O’Neal said. “Being from a rural area, we didn’t have access to some of the traditional resources that other schools had, and one of those resources was a chemistry teacher.” 

Carlee O'Neal

That changed when her school partnered with AdvanceKentucky’s College Readiness Program, which expanded access to several Advanced Placement® (AP) courses, including AP Literature, Physics, Statistics, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Biology and Calculus.

Although Morgan County still doesn’t have a full-time chemistry teacher on staff, AdvanceKentucky’s Science Content Coordinator, Lew Acampora, provided a unique opportunity. He personally instructed O’Neal –  mailing lab kits directly, making regular visits to her school and offering one-on-one support throughout the year.

“I ended up doing over 50 labs that year, which is far beyond what’s typically expected in the AP chemistry curriculum. That experience was really transformative – seeing someone care enough to take time out of their day to teach one student just for the sake of sharing knowledge and helping a curious student.” AdvanceKentucky Student, Carlee O'Neal

Taking Advantage of AP Opportunities with AdvanceKentucky

Thanks to the expanded AP offerings, O’Neal took a total of nine AP courses, including AP Chemistry. AdvanceKentucky covered the cost of her exams and provided financial incentives for passing scores, offering a pathway to college preparation. 

“As a student in the program, the biggest impact was access to resources and to opportunities. They offered virtual review sessions during COVID, which was amazing. And they paid for the AP exams. Coming from an impoverished family, not having to worry about how I was going to pay for those exams was huge. It really took some of the pressure off.”  AdvanceKentucky Student, Carlee O'Neal

The early exposure not only gave O’Neal confidence but shaped her sense of purpose. When she enrolled at the University of Kentucky, she declared a major in chemistry. She also added a second major in community and leadership development, driven by her growing interest in the systems that shape access to education.

“I realized through this lens of how I got access to STEM courses that weren’t normally available to me how much communities affect education. I’m learning STEM concepts through my chemistry major, but now I can also look at the issues in education through a social science lens. That helps me get to the root of the issue — like how a student’s community affects their learning and how that affects their access to opportunities.” AdvanceKentucky Student, Carlee O'Neal

From AdvanceKentucky Student to Intern: Exploring Kentucky’s Educational Challenges

In college, O’Neal became AdvanceKentucky’s first-ever intern — an experience that brought her full circle.

“I already had such a positive view of AdvanceKentucky and KSTC from my time as a student in the program,” she said. “They gave incentives for AP classes, held prep sessions and did all this work that I benefited from. And my experience with Lew really showed me they were doing amazing things.”

Anthony Mires, former AdvanceKentucky executive director and now chief operations officer of parent organization Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation, saw something special in her. 

“She acts on her passions and isn’t afraid to pursue them. She stayed on her path. It takes courage to follow your vision, and that’s what Carlee has.” KSTC COO, Anthony Mires

Her role as an intern allowed her to contribute immediately. 

“When I started, my coworkers would look to me for a student perspective,” she said. “We work mostly with middle and high school kids, and I had just gotten out of high school. I also came from a rural, low-income background so I could offer a view that not everyone else had.”

Working at AdvanceKentucky also opened her eyes to the broader challenges facing Kentucky’s schools.

“Once I started working there, I realized the chemistry teacher shortage wasn’t just in Morgan County,” she said. “Chemistry teachers in Kentucky have the highest rate of non-traditionally or emergency certified teachers. The need is everywhere.”

National Recognition and New Horizons in Public Service Careers

Motivated by her growing interest in educational equity, O’Neal applied for the Voyager Scholarship, a national award created by former President Barack Obama and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky to support students pursuing public service careers.

“I realized my work was really aligned with public service and social science, so I decided to apply. When I found out I got it, I screamed and jumped out of my chair. Just knowing I’d have this opportunity to travel anywhere and do meaningful research without worrying about the financial burden — it meant everything.” AdvanceKentucky Student & Intern, Carlee O'Neal

It was a life-changing opportunity. Before college, O’Neal had never been on a plane or traveled outside Kentucky’s bordering states. The Voyager Scholarship quickly changed that.

“My first solo flight was for the Voyager Democracy Forum in Chicago,” she said. “We spent the day doing team building with the Voyager cohort, and we got to meet President Obama and Brian Chesky in a private Q & A session.”

O’Neal describes meeting the influential leaders behind the scholarship as a profoundly inspiring experience. 

“President Obama just commands the room. I didn’t expect to be as starstruck as I was. It really put everything in perspective. I thought, ‘all of this is paying off.’ Even the high school classes I took through AdvanceKentucky. Everything I’d done led me to this moment.” AdvanceKentucky Student & Intern, Carlee O'Neal

Mires saw the scholarship as a natural fit. “We try to inspire students when teaching them,” he said. “For Carlee, chemistry was a turning point. We hoped to give her the expectation and confidence to pursue something at that level.”

Looking Back: How AdvanceKentucky Sparked a Career in STEM, Teaching and Education Policy

This summer, O’Neal traveled to Cambridge, where she collaborated with education outreach and ed-tech professionals and observed a cancer genomics researcher using technology developed at the University of Kentucky. She then continued to Copenhagen, where she attended higher education conferences and spent time exploring Denmark’s distinctive Folk High School system — a non-traditional model centered on community, civic engagement and personal development. 

Looking back, she credits AdvanceKentucky with shaping both her academic interests and her vision for the future. 

“If I hadn’t had that high school chemistry class, I wouldn’t have majored in chemistry,” she said. “I wouldn’t have realized how much I loved it, or that I wanted to teach it. And working at AdvanceKentucky made me want to take things a step further into policy and advocacy.” 

Mires emphasized the broader mission of AdvanceKentucky:

“We hope our students gain confidence, perseverance and a sense of belonging. A lot of students we’re trying to reach may not know they belong in college. I was a first-generation student myself and the first half of my learning was just understanding the culture of college. That’s what we try to do; close the gap for students who might otherwise miss that transition.” KSTC COO, Anthony Mires

Advice for Fellow Students: Saying ‘Yes’ to Opportunities

O’Neal’s advice for students like her is simple but powerful.

“Take opportunities,” she said. “That’s something I learned as a student in AdvanceKentucky. Me searching for a chemistry class, taking it with Lew — that was taking an opportunity. Taking all the AP classes they offered, applying for the Voyager Scholarship, joining the Chellgren Center. Sometimes people are scared or hesitant because of fear of failure, but if you never seek these opportunities out, you’ll never know how far you can go.”