When Diana L. Restrepo-Osorio began studying at Johnson County Community College, she was not sure what her major would be.

Eventually, she became interested in biotechnology. And when she learned that she could earn a bachelor’s degree in molecular biosciences through a partnership with the University of Kansas Edwards Campus, she knew that the Start2Finish program was for her.

“I just think it’s a wonderful idea, especially since KU Edwards is so close to Johnson County Community College,” she said.

Leaders at the two schools, which are two miles apart along Quivira Road in Overland Park, thought the same thing when they initiated Start2Finish in 2007. Students now can enroll in a half-dozen programs, starting at JCCC and finishing with a bachelor’s degree at the Edwards Campus.

The program ensures that a student’s first class at JCCC counts toward a degree from the University of Kansas. Counselors at both institutions work with a student to determine if each school’s academic programs fit the student’s goals and then guide the student through the programs.

KU Edwards began offering undergraduate programs in fall 2001 and more than 240 students have graduated from them, said Dan Mueller, director of undergraduate advising at KU Edwards. Many of those graduates transferred from JCCC, he said.

Restrepo-Osorio, a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School, expects to graduate in May from KU with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biosciences.

Other students in Start2Finish are working toward bachelor degrees in business administration, developmental psychology, literature, language and writing, public administration and social work.

Restrepo-Osorio grew up in Colombia, South America, and moved to Overland Park at the age of 16.  She said she didn’t think she would feel comfortable at a four-year college right out of high school.

Starting at JCCC worked well for her, she said. Her classes were small, she said, and she benefitted from free tutoring.

“The people there just really really want you to succeed,” Restrepo-Osorio said. “If you start off your education career with that kind of support it will just get you that much further.”

The tuition at JCCC is much lower than that of most four-year colleges, she said. She also was pleased to find that she qualified for a half dozen scholarships at JCCC. One of them was a scholarship for students in the Start2Finish program.

“It really helped out and eased my transition to a four-year university,” she said.

Restrepo-Osorio, who is 26, earned two associate degrees at JCCC while figuring out her career path. The first, in 2005, was in liberal arts and the second, in 2010, was in biotechnology. Professors from JCCC and KU were instrumental in helping her along, she said. She credits them with helping her land a summer internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

She took all of the courses at the Edwards Campus that were available in her field, she said, and this year is taking courses at KU’s campus in Lawrence.

Mueller said that most students complete all of their coursework at Edwards, although they are welcome to take classes in Lawrence. Restrepo-Osorio is an exception, he said, because she is doing some ecology research in Lawrence this year and also completing a sociology minor in Lawrence.

Next fall, Restrepo-Osorio hopes to be enrolled in a graduate program studying ecology and evolutionary biology with an emphasis in water systems. She has applied to a number of colleges, including KU. One day, she said, she hopes to use her education to help those in Third World countries or perhaps return to Colombia to help people there.