Dual Enrollment: A free trial for careers

Sarpy County students get a glimpse of college tuition free.

From the moment he received his first paycheck from Papillon Foreign Motors, Noah Svendson knew he’d stay in the automotive technology industry.

“I got a pretty big paycheck, and I thought, ‘Yeah, this is going to work,’” Svendson said.

He knew there was potential in this line of work, but he’d need to finish high school first. However, like other students at his school, Svendson wanted to fast-track his postsecondary education to get a head start in his career.

Svendson is one of several Papillion-La Vista South High School students who took advantage of Metropolitan Community College’s dual enrollment program, while participating in one of the College’s career academies. MCC is currently offering tuition free college courses to Nebraska high school students through the 2024-25 academic year. By pairing that benefit with a yearlong MCC Career Academy, students can explore a career field while earning up to 37 college credit hours at no cost to them or their families.

This program gives high schoolers a taste of what college is like in small doses without the tuition cost commitment. Since the start of the 2022-23 academic year, more than 6,400 Nebraska high school students have taken advantage of earning college credits while in high school through the College’s dual enrollment programs.

Like Svendsen, John Shafer was interested in making a living in a career where he could work with his hands.

“I hate the idea of an office job. I hate the idea of having to go to school for four more years. Being able to get out of the school environment as quickly as possible was my kind of goal, but I still want to be able to be successful and make a good amount of money,” Shafer said.

Influenced by the time he and his father updated their basement’s electrical system, Shafer signed up for the electrical program at MCC.

Since the start of the 2022-23 academic year, more than 6,400 Nebraska high school students have taken advantage of earning college credits while in high school through MCC dual enrollment programs.

“I really want to be able to start my own business someday. I’m going to get good at this trade and just take in what I learn when I start my apprenticeship. I don’t think the grind will ever stop. But I think that’s a good thing,” Shafer said.

Students interested in four-year universities can also benefit from dual enrollment programs. Participants can complete their general education-required classes such as English, math and science, as well as introductory classes in their career of interest. Upon completion, students can walk away with a certification or transferrable credits to universities. Some even graduate high school having earned an associate degree.

Shanga Kadir, a dual enrollment student in the business program, said the courses helped her stay on track with her goals after relocating to Nebraska her senior year. Before moving to Papillion, Kadir was enrolled in a similar program at her high school in Georgia.

She said the biggest difference between the two was the class sizes.

“My old dual enrollment classes had like 30 to 40 people in it minimum, but [at MCC] my class only has 10 or 12 kids,” Kadir said.

Kadir encourages other students to take advantage of this opportunity and get a glimpse of the careers they’re curious about. The dual enrollment program has helped students like her explore their interests and narrow down their fields of study. She said this will ultimately save her thousands of dollars and reduce the time she’d spend at a university.

While the thought of taking college courses during high school may be intimidating to some, MCC offers a network of support, from success navigators to instructors, available to help students succeed. For Kadir, her English composition professor, Amy Rector, was instrumental in her positive experience at MCC.

She says her patience and accessibility guided her through the quarter.

“[Rector] is hands down the best professor I’ve ever had in my life. She never disregards anybody’s feelings. She’s almost like a second mom in a way. She’s an amazing lady,” Kadir said.

The support from the mentors in the program goes a long way for students like Piper Holland, who said her high school experience has been shaped by the pandemic, which has been challenging.

For her, being able to come to MCC for dual enrollment courses gives her a much-needed break from the daily high school routine.

“At the beginning of my sophomore year, I was struggling with actually going to school and wanting to do my work. I feel like when I started my junior year, and I was able to go to MCC, it definitely made it a lot easier for me to want to go to school,” Holland said.

Holland is planning to study criminal psychology and is interested in pursuing a career in public safety. She plans to transfer her credits from MCC to a four-year college like Wartburg, Wayne State or the University of Nebraska.

Holland understands why some of her peers would shy away from this program, but she hopes her experience can encourage other students to give dual enrollment classes a chance.

“I think a lot of students think that it’s going to be a lot harder than it actually is. But I just think you don’t realize how different it really is until you’re in it,” Holland said.

While every student in dual enrollment has different objectives, timelines and circumstances, Svendson, Shafer, Kadir and Holland all agree they feel good about their plans after high school with the head start they now have before graduating.