Linda Dyke, SCC’s director of concurrent enrollment, top left, congratulates four Franklin high school seniors, all home-schooled, who graduated Tuesday, May 6, with degrees from SCC. From left are (seated) Brittany Bailey, Stefani Ries; (standing) Dyke, Britney Janow and Amanda Janow. Not pictured are Corey Atten of Jackson County and Jessica Stafford of Weaverville. Graduating college and high school at the same time, all six received their associate in arts college transfer degree. As high school students, their college tuition was free. “Our parents like that we’ve saved them thousands of dollars,” said Ries.

“But actually it does,” added this home-schooled high school senior. “That’s because I got my first two years of college free.”

Ries joins five other students who graduated May 6 in Southwestern Community College’s dual enrollment program. They are Brittany Bailey, Britney Janow and Amada Janow, all of Macon County, Corey Atten of Jackson County and Jessica Stafford of Weaverville.

As part of their high school curriculum, they have taken college-level courses at SCC. Since they are high school students, their college tuition was free.

“Our parents like that we’ve saved them thousands of dollars,” said Ries.

“What we also like about the dual enrollment program,” said her dad. Dale Ries, “is the opportunities it has opened for home-schoolers. Southwestern has supplied many of their needs that we could not.”

“It’s ironic that the four seniors from Franklin are all home-schooled,” said Linda Dyke, SCC’s director of concurrent enrollment. “It just turned out that way this year…not all of our dual enrolled students are home-schooled. For instance, Corey Atten, our dual enrolled student in Jackson County, attends The Hub. Jessica Stafford in Weaverville completed her program entirely online.”

What’s also ironic, according to Bailey, is how the students have formed online friendships in their classes but a recent luncheon meeting was the first time some of them met in person.

“Online classes are great when you aren’t old enough to drive to campus,” said Bailey.

“And they really help when you’re juggling a part-time job,” the students agreed.

However, not all of their college classes were online. Many of them were at the new Macon Campus, or, in Atten’s case, at the Jackson Campus.

“I thought it might be awkward being a high-schooler on a college campus but at the Macon Campus they already have the early college high school students. Then I thought it might be awkward not knowing who to hang out with- my high school friends or my college classmates,” said Britney Janow. “But I was surprised to find that the college students- and instructors- didn’t treat me any differently because of my age.”

“Our dual enrolled students are a special set of students,” said Dyke. “They are unified by their focus and determination. They know what they want out of life and they are going for it.”

“I want to minor in photography, too, and my goal is to work as a photo-journalist for a magazine,” said Bailey, who plans to transfer to Western Carolina University and major in journalism.

Both Britney and Amanda Janow plan a career in health information management while Ries’ focus is electrical computer engineering technology.

Each of the students appreciate how their courses at Southwestern will transfer automatically to any of North Carolina’s 16 public universities.

“I’m thankful to Southwestern for giving me this chance to get a head start on my life,” Ries said before the graduation ceremony on the Jackson Campus.

“Southwestern’s program not only challenged me, but it made me challenge myself,” said Bailey. “It helped me to achieve goals that I never thought I could and allowed me to reach a higher level of who I am.”

For more information, contact Dyke at 586-4091, ext. 394 or visit the website at www.southwesterncc.edu/collconn/concurrent.

See May 6, 2008 Commencement photos

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