Christa Frederick will receive her Liberal Studies associate’s degree from Montgomery County Community College before she participates in high 学校 graduation ceremony with her peers at Lighthouse Christian Academy.
Frederick, 17, of Berks County, who will graduate from Montco in May, began taking Dual Enrollment courses at the College in fall 2016. Her mother, Tina Frederick-Herbst, and father, Richard Herbst, teach Psychology and Math, respectively, at the College’s 波茨敦的西校区.
"My mom and dad always talked to me about 双录取 when I was younger," Christa said, adding that once she tried it, "I didn’t want 停止. 我喜欢这里."
"I was pretty well-prepared," Christa said, about starting at Montco, also adding that learning time management really helped. "You have to keep track of your assignments 独自一人. You are not meeting everyday like you do in high 学校."
她 successfully balanced three or four high 学校 honors classes with a 12- to 15-credit college class schedule in any given semester. Even though she was already in college, Christa still prepared for and took her SATs.
Christa, who will graduate with a 3.9 GPA, took college classes practically year-round, even during the winter and summer semesters. Her ambition and love of learning pushed her to work harder in her high 学校 and college classrooms.
After two years and many college courses under her belt, Christa’s hard work is paying 从. Not only is she transferring to a four-year college in the fall, Christa graduated from Lighthouse Christian Academy a year and a half earlier than her original graduation 2019年的日期，带有4.0的绩点.
To high 学校 students contemplating Dual Enrollment, Christa said, "Do it, absolutely! 这是非常值得的. You will come out with an incredible amount of knowledge and skills."
Coming from a small high 学校, Christa said the college’s cafeteria was a bit intimidating 第一天上班. Soon after, it became a place for her to hang out and unwind with 其他学生.
"The first day she came by asking my husband and me which room or building her classes “我们在，”她妈妈说. "But, by the next time Christa’s classes met she knew exactly 去哪里."
In addition to finding her way around campus, her mother said Christa also found greater 自我意识和自信.
"The change in her confidence has been astounding," her mother said. “我真的认为 it to the time she spent on campus and her professors."
At Montco, Christa is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa 荣誉学会. 她 also serves as Beta Tau Lambda vice president of membership. 她 previously had been a member of Kutztown Strong and the Leo club at her high 学校. 她还喜欢志愿者工作. Participating in fairs and seeing 学校 productions are other highlights from her time at the West Campus.
"There’s a lot of fun here at West Campus," she said.
Along with Psychology classes, Christa said she really liked her English classes. Her passion for writing will come in handy if she pursues her goal of attending law 学校. When asked to choose a favorite professor, Christa said, "They honestly were 所有美妙的”.
Looking ahead, Christa is trying to decide between transferring to Penn State University, Kutztown University or Chestnut Hill College this fall. 她已经得到了几个机会 学术奖学金, which her family credits to her time at MCCC.
Like Christa, her parents also have a love for Montgomery County Community College. Richard has been teaching at the West Campus since 2004. 蒂娜开始工作 第二年的校园. "Tina and I met here," Richard said.
Tina had been teaching full-time at Kutztown University. 这是在她的时间填充 in for an ill professor at a community college that Tina realized she wanted to make 一个变化.
"The students were so energetic," Tina said of community college life. “他们 所以要投入到学习过程中. I felt the community college was really where 我想成为."
Post-graduation, Christa may continue taking classes at Montco.
"她 just isn’t ready to give Montco up yet," Tina said.
At the outset, Tina wanted Christa to choose her educational path. “我们想做 sure it was her decision," Richard said. “我们不想影响她."
"Christa chose to become a Dual Enrollment student," Tina said. 当被问及她的时候 experience at Montco, Christa said, "It was everything I could have asked for and 更多的."