OCEANSIDE -- Last year, Terry Walburn was falling behind and on the verge of dropping out of high school.

Now, with some help from Oceanside High School's academic recovery program and career center, he's not only going to graduate this year, he's already taking classes at MiraCosta College and actively seeking an internship with an accounting firm.

Terry is one of dozens of students at Oceanside High who have been able to use the career center, which was launched at the downtown campus with a two-year grant from the Carlsbad-based Gary and Mary West Foundation.

The center has been instrumental in convincing him to stay in school and has helped him decide to pursue a career in accounting.

"It was a good feeling to know that they had my back," he said.

In 2006, the Oceanside Unified School District opened Academic Acceleration and Recovery Centers at three locations as a way to help students who have fallen behind with credits or dropper out.

Last year, the nonprofit foundation gave the district $300,000 to expand the program to include the career center, which helps students find work and get into college. The center is basically a classroom with computers, plush chairs and a vocational counselor.

The career center is a "one-stop shop," where students can ask questions, brush up on their interviewing skills, look for a place to live or fill out a college application, said Judyann Watson, the counselor coordinator for the academic recovery program.

"It's an opportunity they've never had and it opens a lot of doors for them," she said. "It's almost like a personal consultant for some of these kids."

The number of students using the career center has grown steadily since it opened last fall, said Bob Warnemuende, a retired counselor who oversees the "hub."

"It started out with just a few kids, and now it's crazy," he said.

As many as 50 students visit the center each day, he said. So far, Warnemuende has helped more than 80 students fill out job applications, he said.

Most of the students using the career hub are enrolled in the school's academic recovery program, though students not in the program are welcome.

The academic recovery program and career center helped Adrianna Lopez stay in school and plan for her future.

"I didn't want to deal with high school," she said. "I just wanted to drop out."

Now, the junior is all set to graduate a year early and move onto nursing classes at MiraCosta College. She said she plans on going into the Marines and later becoming a nurse.

Call staff writer Stacy Brandt at 760-901-4009.