By Sarah Abraham, Full-Time Writing Specialist
November 15, 2022

I was at my brother’s high school graduation ceremony in 2016, and the speaker asked all graduates who also hold an Associate of Arts Degree to stand. About three students stood; I watched and thought “I want to be one of those students one day.” That moment changed the trajectory of my educational career.

In 2018, I found myself standing, with about three other students, among my high school class, just like the few of the class of 2016. I did not think I would be there, but I was, and I was flooded with pride and a feeling of accomplishment as I stood. I was 18 years old, and about two weeks prior, I graduated with my A.A. Degree.

Dual enrollment, without a doubt, changed my life. It might seem like yet another educational program, but for me, it opened up so many new opportunities and has done the same for many other students. Dual enrollment provided me with the chance to earn an A.A. for free, experience college classes while in high school, and earn dual credit toward both a college degree and high school. Not only did I get a degree in high school, but the classes also counted toward my high school diploma.

After graduating, I continued my educational pursuits at the University of Central Florida (UCF), earning a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (May ’20) and a Master of Emergency and Crisis Management (May ‘22). During this time, I connected with professionals in both fields and conducted graduate-level research, leading to a publication.

My time as a dual enrolled student at DSC inspired me to seek educational opportunities outside of standard classes. Dual enrollment encourages students to be confident, independent, and develop real-world skills that they will be able to apply far beyond the realm of high school. It also allows students with vast educational goals to get a jump-start on those goals, and even decrease their time in college (outside of high school) by two years. Dual enrollment is one of the few programs to do this for students.

In addition to internal, personal growth for students, it gives young students the chance to “test the waters” of college and experience college on a smaller scale than being immediately thrown into a large university directly out of high school. As many of you already know, college is very different than high school, and not really in the ways that your high school teachers say. It is full of challenges that require independence, resilience, and dedication. Right out of high school, it can be difficult to face those challenges, and dual enrollment gives students the ability to build these skills on a smaller scale. These skills transfer to not only a larger university, but life.

Personal growth is one of the biggest impacts of dual enrollment. However, there are financial benefits, too. Students that dual enroll do not pay for their classes, books, and (most) on-campus services. Dual enrolled students are able to begin their college experience with financial freedom and prepare for further costs that come with education without the stress of paying for their first two years.

If you are a high school student or know a high school student that is interested in dual enrollment, check out this link. It provides further information on how to become dual enrolled at DSC and what is required. Along with that, make sure to speak with your high school counselor about dual enrollment opportunities that are available to you. Many state colleges have dual enrollment programs — not just DSC!

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