On any given day, Madelyn Brochu’s schedule might include completing a college assignment, planning social media content for work, and heading to dance practice at night. For many high school seniors, balancing those responsibilities might feel overwhelming; for Madelyn, it’s exactly why the Early College program at CCV was the best fit for her life.
Going into her senior year of high school, Madelyn knew that she wanted to explore opportunities outside of the classes offered there. “I typically am really successful with independent and online work, a traditional classroom setting has never been my favorite,” she shared. While looking into taking a Dual Enrollment class at CCV, she saw another program for seniors and asked a question that changed the trajectory of her next year: “what’s Early College?”
Early College for High School Seniors
The Early College program allows high school seniors to spend their entire senior year at CCV, taking classes and earning college credits while finishing their high school diploma tuition-free. Students enroll full-time for the fall and spring semesters at any of CCV’s academic centers or online.
“I was going to end up taking random classes to fill my schedule, so being able to get college credit while also finishing out my high school credits gave me a lot more purpose to the work I was doing,” Madelyn said. “The option to actually do everything more independent focused and also get college credit for it was really appealing to me.”
For Madelyn, Early College at CCV wasn’t just an alternative path – it was the one that made everything fit. “My favorite part of being an Early College student at CCV is probably the fact that I can make my own schedule. I can really choose when and where to fit things in,” she said. “I can do my work from anywhere. I can spend time with my friends, keep social connections. I can really focus on dance and spending extra time when I need to and still be able to fit in my schoolwork.”
Balancing Other Interests
Even though she’s taking classes at CCV, that hasn’t held Madelyn back from still getting the experience of a senior in high school. She’s been involved in senior festivities, will attend prom and graduation, and having a flexible schedule has let Madelyn put a focus on one of her biggest passions: dance.
She started dancing at three years old, spending every week at the studio. Once she moved to Mount Abe and found out about the Middlebury High School dance team, she was able to participate throughout her high school career. “A huge part of what I love about dancing is the team aspect. I’ve met so many amazing people…and I’ve also learned a lot of self-discipline and those kinds of skills from dance and learning to push myself to really want more,” she said.
Madelyn has been able to put her best foot forward with the dance team thanks to taking online classes at CCV. “Because I have the flexibility…I can pretty much fit in my schoolwork anytime,” she said. This has allowed her to focus on dance practices each night, and competitions on the weekends. As a captain on the dance team she has been a big part of their success – most recently as state champions in hip hop.
In addition to taking classes full time, and dancing at night, Madelyn works part-time at Mitchell Tees managing their social media marketing – a job she says she wouldn’t have gotten as a high school senior without being a CCV student. “There was never much time for me to work…to go down some kind of career path,” she said. “Being able to fit that in and apply the skills that I’m learning at CCV into my work every day has been really cool.”
Madelyn is working on earning a business degree at CCV and a certificate in digital marketing, allowing her to connect what she’s learning in the classroom to her job. “I’m learning a lot right now in my classes about website design and how social media ties into the more analytical piece of marketing. It’s really cool to be able to apply that to how I’m formulating our social media posts, she said. “I definitely feel like getting ahead and being in the workforce, being able to actually have a job in this field before I’ve even graduated high school, is a really cool part of this opportunity.”
Looking Ahead – Debt-Free
“Early College was a great choice for me because it allowed me to have a flexible schedule, to save a lot of money on a degree and to put my learning actually towards something purposeful my senior year,” Madelyn said.
Madelyn is graduating from Mt. Abe High School in June and plans to stay at CCV for a second year through the Free Degree Promise. This program allows students who successfully complete Early College to continue at CCV and earn their associate degree at no cost. As a first-generation college student, the opportunity to earn a degree carries even more weight. “I think it’s really exciting to have this opportunity to be the first person in my family to get a degree, and also to do it debt-free.”
“I think this is a really great opportunity for me because it’s gonna allow me to finish what I’ve started, but also at no cost,” she said. “It aligns with the career path that I want to go into. I already know that I can fit the classes into my schedule, and I feel really confident that it’s a great choice for me.”
Interested in learning more about Early College? Visit gotocollegevt.org or attend a free information session this spring. To start your EC year this fall, apply for admission by May 1 (priority), final deadline is August 5.
