Eleven area graduating high school seniors also earn NICC degrees

This May, 11 high school seniors earned two-year college transfer degrees through Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), an academic achievement made possible because of concurrent enrollment agreements between the schools and NICC. The graduates represent three high schools in the counties of Allamakee, Fayette and Winneshiek, and their accomplishments are the result of careful academic planning, persistence, ambition and career direction.

Two of the 11 students, Alex Marti and Madison Snitker, graduated from Waukon High School and earned an NICC degree simultaneously by taking advantage of the affordable, flexible and academically challenging college credit opportunity.

“It means so much to have completed my Associate of Arts while in high school. I have a great head start, and I’m not as worried about college debt. I would like to thank Northeast Iowa Community College for giving me this opportunity,” expressed Marti.

Because she has grown up in a large family, Marti is aware of the money she saved by taking NICC classes during her high school years and is encouraging her sisters to do the same. College-level courses are also often more challenging and thought-provoking options, according to Marti. Her favorite college credit courses through the enrollment agreement with NICC were Cultural Anthropology and Intro to Ethics.

“Ethics was very interesting and made me think about things in society. The class opened my eyes and made me question things,” Marti said. She is enrolling at the University of Iowa next fall to major in biology/pre-med and Mandarin Chinese with a minor in Spanish.

Madison Snitker, also a May 2016 Waukon High School graduate, also earned an Associate of Arts degree from NICC this spring. When Snitker was signing up for the high school classes she would take her senior year, a Waukon counselor pointed out that she had earned nearly 50 college credits - just 10 shy of an NICC associate’s degree.

“My experience at the Waukon Center and NICC was awesome. I’m super grateful for the opportunity. All of my professors were helpful and answered any questions I had, whether by email or in person in class,” explained Snitker, whose college transfer plans including attending the University of Iowa to major in biology. “I want to become a physician’s assistant and counselors recommended majoring in biology; after I complete my undergraduate degree, I plan to enroll in graduate school at Iowa.”

Marti and Snitker’s accomplishment was matched by nine other graduating high school seniors this spring, eight of whom are West Central High School graduates and one from South Winneshiek High School. Graduating with a diploma from West Central High School and earning an Associate of Arts degree from NICC were Anna Barry, Bailey Bergman, Ashley Buzynski and Dustin Gordon, all of Maynard; Cheridan Brickman and Adam Cannon of Westgate; Lincoln Fuhs of Early; and John McDonough of Oelwein. Graduating with a diploma from South Winneshiek High School and earning an NICC Associate of Arts degree was Benjamin Meyer of Calmar.

Concurrent enrollment programming offered through NICC that provides college courses for area high school students earned accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) in 2012. Meeting the high standards of the NACEP ensures that college courses offered in high school settings are of the same quality and rigor as courses offered on a college campus. As the sole accrediting body for concurrent enrollment partnerships, NACEP helps these programs adhere to the highest standards so that high school students experience seamless transition to college and teachers benefit from meaningful, ongoing professional development.

For more information on these agreements through NICC, visit www.nicc.edu/highschool.