Some Papio South seniors could be crossing the stage at Baxter Arena twice this May. On May 9, 38 Papio South students are invited to Baxter Arena to walk at graduation due to earning requirements needed for various Metro Community College programs. Through 12 different programs, graduates will have earned various certificates, achievements or even an associate’s degree. These courses not only help students get ahead on the entry-level courses of college, but get them exposed to future careers. Among the 38 students, three have earned their Associates Degree: Ben Shafer (Senior), Talon Knott (Senior) and Ryan Zhang (Senior).
Senior Rylee Middleton is among the 36 students whose accomplishments are being recognized by MCC. She will be graduating with her Residential Carpentry Career Certificate and Construction & Building Science Framing & Finishing Specialist Certificate of Achievement.
“I knew in my sophomore year I wanted to do construction management. With the help of my advisers, Mr. [Roger] Campbell and Mr. [Randy] Stribley, I decided to take the MCC Career Academy,” Middleton said. “I could get a lot of those credits I would need in the future while still in high school and only needed a select few after I graduated to get my degree.”
While Papio South offers various elective classes, MCC classes can sometimes provide more real-world experience and thorough knowledge in the subject.
“MCC classes are more in-depth and have much more funding to do projects. For example, my floor, wall, ceiling, stair, interior and exterior, and roof framing classes are all on an actual house. We work on the Capstan house with a company similar to Habitat for Humanity. We start from the ground up, and build the whole house in a gymnasium, like a lab, and then send it to a family who maybe can’t afford a house,” Middleton explained.
With this jump-start to college programs, students can cut down the time needed to earn their degrees. This can provide future opportunities for jobs, better pay, and a baseline for expanded knowledge.
“I’ll have an associate’s degree in construction management and construction tech, … which I’ve gotten in one year of high school. I’ll have my OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 certifications,” Middleton said. “From there, I plan to go straight into a paid company internship and apply to that company after 11 weeks.”
Senior Ryan Zhang will be graduating with his Business Career Certificate and Business Transfer Associate’s Degree. Balancing a full day’s schedule can be a challenge for any student, but adding college courses on a separate campus increases that. In some cases, students were taking multiple AP, elective and core classes at Papio South, along with multiple MCC classes, making time management difficult.
“My biggest challenge has been the amount of time you have to spend on the work and balancing your time,” Zhang said. “My junior year, I took 10 classes between MCC and high school. There was always a lot of work and I would often stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. trying to finish my work.”
Along with balancing a travel schedule, these MCC classes required self-management and responsibility. This is another distinction between regular high school classes and MCC classes. Self-reliance is absolutely essential in the college classroom, and developing that is another benefit to the college jump-start.
“You go to a classroom at a certain time–there’s no attendance being taken, no one telling you to get to class, there is no bell, you have to show up on your own,” Zhang said. “The instructors won’t push you to finish assignments. You have to figure out your own time management. You meet less in class, so you have to be very responsible to do your own work.”
“Responsibility is the biggest difference between high school and MCC,” Zhang said. The advantage of taking Gen Eds and starter programs for future careers while still in high school is the time shaved off of time at college. Because these students have completed their beginner level courses, when they go to college they will be prepared to start high-level courses and finish their accomplishments quicker.
“Taking these courses will definitely help with college,” Zhang said. “I only need two more years of college to get my bachelor’s degree, and having an extra degree early on is useful to have in general. I want to start my own business one day, and so just knowing basic knowledge is an important and helpful start towards that process.”
Zhang added that being open and communicative with the MCC instructors can make the process less complicated: “The instructors are helpful. Most of the academy instructors used to be high school teachers, so they understand how things work regarding your time management and communication, and they are usually helpful and lenient with you.”
