"As far as Michael Brown is concerned, he wasn't supposed to be here.

At 21 years old, Brown expected to be a couple years into military service, as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather did before him. Yet here he sat, at Austin Community College's Highland Campus, juggling computer networking courses with a job as an auto parts delivery driver....

As far as Steven Jackobs is concerned, Brown — as well as his peers in the Career Expressway — are exactly where they're supposed to be.

Jackobs leads Capital IDEA, a local nonprofit launched by Austin Interfaith in partnership with the regional business community. The organization provides advisers, pays for tuition and books and offers a range of support services, financial and otherwise, to its clients.

Essentially, it helps students overcome most of the barriers – from the financial to the mundane – that can lead so many students to drop out of college programs."

ACC Program's Aim: Build a Fast-Track to Higher Paying Jobs, Austin American Statesman