Cover Story - Winter 2023 Issue

   

One Step Ahead

Students Find Success in Dual-Credit Program

Students walking on campus

Dominic Ramirez is open to new challenges. Palaw Ri is no stranger to balancing a busy schedule.

Both students started at Donnelly full time in the fall of 2023 and have excelled in their studies. They have become accustomed to college life and the higher standard of academic excellence that is expected from instructors. They have gotten involved and utilized the many resources offered. However, there is one major difference between these two students and many of their classmates.

They are both still in high school.

When an opportunity arose near the end of the summer for Bishop Ward High School students to pilot a variation of Donnelly’s College Credit Now dual-credit program, Ramirez and Ri jumped at the chance to be challenged and try something new. Instead of taking college-level courses completely online or taught by high school teachers, the students would walk across the street to take classes in-person on Donnelly’s campus.

College Credit Now has been a program at Donnelly for decades. High school students that qualify for the program can earn college credits while completing their high school diploma –ultimately saving them time and tuition costs in their educational journeys.

At $75 per credit hour, Donnelly’s College Credit Now is one of the most affordable dual-credit programs in Kansas City. 

So why would two seniors voluntarily sign up to take nearly all college-level courses in their last year of high school? For Ramirez, he found that being challenged in school helps him stay focused on learning the course material.

“At first, I was scared, which was a new feeling,” Ramirez said. “School had never scared me. I had never had to ask, ‘What if I fail?’ I decided to go for it because it was such a good opportunity to get ahead in my college career. I always knew college was the next step. Why not just get started?"

After Ri was also recommended for this pilot program by his counselor and dean at Bishop Ward, he liked the idea of taking in-person classes instead of online. “I’ve been able to get a feel of what college is like before I eventually transfer to a bigger university,” Ri said. “I can just bring along my credits to finish faster too.”

Discussion in the hallway

Both Ramirez and Ri are taking five classes on Donnelly’s campus and two part-time classes at Bishop Ward. Not only that, but Ramirez is on the Bishop Ward Student Council and a member of the pep club. Ri is a linebacker on the football team and a member of Scholars Bowl. The biggest challenge? Balancing the workload.

“There have been times I’ve barely had any time to finish assignments, especially on Friday nights,” Ri said. “After the Friday night football games, I’ve had some assignments due on Saturday morning.”

While the workload is heavy, Ramirez credits Donnelly for providing campus resources to keep students on track with their academic goals.

“You see TV shows where the professors are horrible and mean,” Ramirez said. “But Donnelly professors are amazing. They’re going to prioritize coursework and deadlines, but they still care about you as people. They want you to utilize Donnelly’s resources like tutoring and their office hours. They don’t want you to fail.” 

One of the biggest differences between high school and college is the freedom college allows its students. In between classes, Donnelly students can meet with instructors, study, hang out with classmates or leave campus altogether. Ramirez and Ri joked that not needing a hall pass to use the restroom during class time at Donnelly was quite a shock at first.

According to Coordinator of Academic Affairs Emily Jacobsen, high school students who qualify for College Credit Now as juniors could potentially finish earning their associate degree from Donnelly at the same time that they graduate with a high school diploma – saving them two years of time and tuition costs.

“[College Credit Now] is a great opportunity because students are... creating lives for themselves earlier and opening up more doors,” Jacobsen said.

Ramirez hopes to eventually become a surgeon while Ri sees himself entering the engineering field.

As Ramirez and Ri finish their first semester, Donnelly’s leadership hopes this pilot program can be expanded to include more students from any partner high school near Donnelly’s campus. Not only have these two students excelled in their studies, but they bring hope to other high school students who want to get one step ahead in life.

“Dominic and Palaw – they’re dynamic, they’re just superstars,” said Dean of the College Lisa Stoothoff. “They’re both the perfect students for this... It is an increased workload, but they understand the value of what they’ve been given and they’re not taking it for granted.”

Concentrating on homework

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