For this newsletter’s Student Spotlight, we decided to focus on two HCEMC students, one who chose the traditional route of attending a four-year institution following her time in the Early Middle College, and another, who graduated with an associate degree and was able to start her career following her time in the EMC.

Growth and Development

Mattie knew she wanted to pursue something in the agriculture area, but didn’t know what, specifically, until she discovered agronomy (the study of soil and crop production). The Iowa State University offers this as a bachelor’s degree. With her three years in the EMC, Mattie was able to transfer 46 college credits to Iowa State University. Once at Iowa, Mattie says, “I was able to jump into my core classes, concentrate on things I was passionate about, and focus on what I want to do with my life.”

When asked where Mattie first learned about the Hillsdale County Early Middle College, she replied that an upper classman at Jonesville High School, Roy Bowman, stressed the benefits he experienced - the jumpstart on college life and personal growth that comes from the Early Middle College program.

Matisyn has learned so much from the EMC program. She says, “I learned more about myself, especially in the fifth year. I grew so much during that time. I was on my own, but not on my own. I had the support of those around me.” Mattie respectively has learned time management and communication skills. Once she started classes at Iowa State University, even the professors noticed she was able to write professional emails, complimenting her on her professionalism. This is an invaluable skill that we stress in the HCEMC. Mattie also stated another benefit to the EMC is that “you learn how to read a syllabus.” She stated that she has had friends at Iowa State who have reached out to her for help in comprehending their class syllabus.

Overall, Mattie’s favorite experience in the Hillsdale County Early Middle College has been making connections and lifelong friends. She appreciates the support system, including staff as well as other students. Matisyn also stated that “Colloquium was so much fun – we were always laughing.”

Matisyn plans to get her bachelor’s in agronomy and minor in animal science. She’d love to get into research as a research agronomist and develop new products/crops.

She highly advised other students to join the HCEMC - one reason because of the money savings. The EMC also helped her attain scholarships and led her to internships to help her decide what she truly wanted to do.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Sara Cole

The Early Middle College isn’t just for those students who wish to transfer to a four-year institution. It is for those in trades, those who want a certificate, and those who want an associate’s degree. SARA COLE joined the HCEMC the same year as Matisyn in 2018 as a junior at Pittsford High School. She heard about the program from Madelyn Monahan, a student in the 2017 cohort.

When Sara was asked why someone would consider joining the HCEMC, her response was two-fold: to save money and to get a head start on their future. Her favorite part of the program was similar to Mattie’s, “meeting new people.”

That social aspect has helped Sara in her job at BPU, especially with skills like answering the telephone and working with people of various backgrounds.

Throughout her three years in the Early Middle College, Sara has learned many success skills, in particular those she uses on a daily basis in her job, such as organization, prioritizing, self-confidence and the ability to ask for help. She also mentioned that college classes helped her “learn more skills to take on life.”

It’s refreshing to see that the Hillsdale County Early Middle College isn’t just a program for those in a certain pathway in life; instead, the program is individualized, allowing for further personal growth and development.