Students Find Success in Dual-Credit Program
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.
For three-quarters of a century, Donnelly College has been committed to providing affordable, accessible, faith-based education in the urban core of Kansas City, Kansas. Locally, regionally and nationally, Donnelly is setting the bar in educating students from various ethnic and life backgrounds.
Since the College was founded in 1949, the campus has changed dramatically. Some programs have been retired while new ones have been added and thousands of students have
walked the halls and crossed the graduation stage. Although much has changed over the past 75 years, Donnelly’s student centered mission has stayed the same.
The kickoff celebration for the 75th anniversary year will beat this year’s SHINE gala on Thursday, October 3. The event’s fundraising goal is $1 million, which, if met, would make SHINE 2024 the most successful fundraiser in the College’s history. Additional celebratory events will be announced in the
coming months.
As supporters and friends reflect on Donnelly’s past, the College is also laying the foundation for an increasingly bright and impactful future — transforming lives with the power of education for the next 75 years and beyond.
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.”