Illinois students balance college, high school lives at once

FREEPORT, Ill. (AP) - College isn’t easy for anyone, but enrolling when you’re supposed to be in high school makes it even tougher.

Kaitlyn Marquardt joined the CollegeNOW program at Highland Community College as a high school junior last year, but she didn’t leave her high school obligations behind.

Aside from being a full time college student, she plays three sports for Durand High School. On top of that, Marquardt has a job and is also a member of both the band and chorus at her high school.

“I try to make time for myself, but it’s pretty packed,” she said.

Marquardt is one of 18 students from area high schools attending the program that is designed to allow talented students to graduate with their associate’s degree and high school diploma at the same time. She’s not the only one scrambling to keep up with a double-life.

Emily Bullock, who would have been a senior at Pecatonica this year, continues to play in the band, participate in key club and student council and compete in academic bowl. She said it can sometimes be difficult to maintain friendships while in the CollegeNOW program.

“I think you really find out who you your friends are and who’s going to stick with you and support you in this,” she said. “Not everyone supports you leaving high school and going to college.”

There’s an adjustment period when it comes to discovering yourself at the college level, Celena Josephitis of Freeport High School said.

“I think the hardest part starting out is just figuring out where you fit in,” she said. “That’s the same with any student starting out but it’s just kind of different for us because we’re younger. We have to be more mature around older students.”

She added that it’s not always easy to transition back to a high school atmosphere.

“Being with more mature students, it’s kind of hard going back to the high school because everyone seems more immature than you are and it’s a little harder to fit back in, but you just find a way to do it,” she said.

Despite the social and academic challenges, CollegeNOW students have enjoyed high levels of success. About 95 percent of the students who have passed through the program since it started in 2012 have either graduated from Highland or transferred to a four-year school after their first year. They also carry an average GPA of around 3.8 Vicki Schulz, the program’s advisor said.

Marquardt, Josephitis and Bullock agreed that if they would make the decision to enroll in CollegeNOW again if they had to go back in time.

“There’s a few times I wish I was in high school, maybe like homecoming week,” Marquardt said, “but other than that I’m really glad I came here instead.”

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Source: The (Freeport) Journal-Standard, https://bit.ly/2hhVgpM

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Information from: The Journal-Standard, https://www.journalstandard.com/jshome.taf