Collin College awarded more than 2,000 degrees and certificates to students in the Class of 2021, but several students who attended the college’s graduation were still days away from walking across their high school graduation stages.
Thanks to the collegiate academy model and partnerships between Collin College and area school districts including The Colony, Community, Plano, and Princeton, more than 60 dual credit students earned associate degrees in addition to their high school degrees this year.
The collegiate academy model allows high school students to integrate dual credit classes into their schedules, and Collin College provides on-site professors and student and enrollment support services. The popular model is rapidly growing throughout the county. The end result of students graduating with their high school and college diplomas at the same time makes all the work worthwhile.
The college’s graduation event celebrated the achievements of these dual credit students as well as the entire Class of 2021. More than 370 students attended the event which was held at the Collin Higher Education Center April 29-May 1. College administrators and staff recognized each student with cheers and applause, and graduating students posed for photographs with their families. In addition, graduates received a special graduation gift from the college as well as mortar boards, tassels, and diploma holders. The district president and 校董会 were also featured in special videos on the graduation webpage.
毕业于金沙博彩和殖民地高中
One of 41 The Colony High School students to earn an associate degree, Jasmin Hernandez plans to attend Texas Woman’s University and become a nurse practitioner.
“It was crazy at first to take regular high school classes and dual credit classes,” said Jasmin, who earned an Associate of Science degree from the college. “It was two different experiences. 我在大学的课堂上有更多的自由。 I believe anything that is worth doing requires work. Anyone can get two degrees at one time if they are willing to put the effort in.”
Jasmin said she enjoyed being able to get a photo with her family at the graduation celebration. Her mother, Alisa, said Jasmin’s younger sister, Natalie, will be following in her sister’s footsteps and also plans to earn her Collin College associate degree while she is in high school.
“这是一个很好的项目，”艾丽莎说。 “低成本很棒。 The instructors came to the high school, which was a plus, and Jasmin is ready for the university.”
贾思敏的父亲弗洛伦西奥（Florencio）说，他会把这个项目推荐给其他人。
“This program is great for students who choose a career that is going to take longer,” he said. “他们高中毕业时已经有60个大学学分了。”
Like Jasmin, Jeriel Varughese earned an Associate of Science degree from the college and also graduated from The Colony High School. Jeriel received a scholarship to attend the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). 他计划成为一名护士麻醉师。
“我想在正确的道路上走得越远越好，”杰里尔说。 “教授们真的很好，把单元讲得很容易理解。”
杰里尔的母亲吉吉说，这个项目帮助她的儿子变得更有条理。
“这是一个了不起的项目，他做到了，”她说。 “He earned his high school degree and associate degree, and he was accepted at UTA. The program prepared him very well for the degree. 现在他有了生物学和心理学的知识基础。”
毕业于金沙博彩和社区教育专业
Community High School student Luke Wilson was one of 11 Community ISD students to earn a Collin College degree this year. He plans to attend Texas A&M University to study biochemistry and genetics, and his ultimate goal is to become a physician assistant.
“This is the first year that 11 Community ISD students are graduating with associate degrees,” said Luke, who earned an Associate of Science degree from the college. “It was great to have 10 other people in the program. We became friends and were able to lean on each other and celebrate with each other.”
卢克说，他认为今年的毕业典礼比一般的毕业典礼更个人化。 他的母亲艾琳（Erin）称这个项目非常棒。
“We transferred from another school so he could participate in the program,” Erin said. “他一直都很有动力。 他做到了这一点，我并不感到惊讶。 我肯定会告诉其他家长去调查一下。 You are paying for 60 credit hours at a community college tuition rate — not a university tuition rate.”
Dominique Hawkins earned an Associate of Arts degree from Collin College and graduated from Community High School. She plans to major in fashion design and minor in business design and entrepreneurship at the University of North Texas.
“The reason I wanted to earn my associate degree in high school is because I want to go straight into my major and start fashion design classes at the university,” Dominique said. “After that, my goal is to get an internship with Calvin Klein and, from there, get a job and develop my own skills for fashion design.”
多米尼克说她会把这个项目推荐给其他高中生。
“You get the college experience which is totally different than high school,” she said. “You can graduate with your bachelor’s degree earlier and then go on to earn your master’s degree. 它会给你额外的动力，让你更快地进入现实世界。”
多米尼克说她很喜欢这次毕业典礼，并补充说它组织得很好。 她的父母欧内斯汀和埃里克也亲自参加了毕业典礼。
“This was an exciting experience and a wonderful surprise that she was able to accomplish both degrees at the same time,” Ernestine said. “Being an A student and keeping up with the load, it was very demanding at times. Students have to be self-motivated and determined to stay on top of everything.”
自豪的父亲埃里克同意了。
“如果你不自律，你可能会落后，”他说。 “It is good for the students to receive that reassurance from their parents which helps them to stay motivated and get ready for the next level of college.”
欧内斯汀补充说，她会建议家庭寻找这个机会。
“我们只看到这个项目有好处，”她说。 “这只会有帮助。”
Graduating seniors can get even further ahead with Collin College’s Reversing the Slide program which offers spring 2021 high school graduates up to seven hours tuition free this summer. For more information, visit www.bc-jinsha.com/express/2021graduates.html.