How do a pair of siblings leave high school with many college credits already earned and well prepared for the rigors of higher education? How do they power through college to graduate at the same time, well prepared for next steps in life?
In the case of Oscar and Samantha Lopez, chalk it up to working hard, planning carefully and utilizing District 214’s early-credit opportunities, including Middle College, offered in partnership with National Louis University.
Equipped with this solid foundation, Oscar graduates from North Central College this summer, majoring in Entrepreneurship and minoring in Marketing. Samantha, meanwhile, earned a degree this spring in Business Management from Roosevelt University. Both say their early-college work in District 214 helped set the stage for post-secondary success.
“The Middle College program helped me understand what college coursework looks like and how to succeed in it,” Oscar said. “For example, I experienced longer class periods than I was used to in high school, learned large amounts of information in a short amount of time, and managed assignments with more independence.”
Samantha said of her dual-credit experience: “I learned how to manage my time, stay organized, meet deadlines, and complete more challenging assignments independently.”
This formula propelled Oscar to earn 67 college credits by the time he graduated from Wheeling High School and to graduate from North Central this summer at only 19 years of age. He earned 55 of those early credits from National Louis through the Middle College Business Program, which offers a mix of business administration courses, such as entrepreneurship and accounting, as well as general education courses.
Oscar maximized the opportunity, completing courses in Spanish, statistics, accounting, psychology, art, English, principles of business, macroeconomics, marketing, science, speech, and history.
“In many ways, I viewed the Middle College program as similar to earning the foundation of an associate degree because it introduced students to the structure and rigor of higher education early on,” said Oscar, who also earned 12 early credits from Eastern Illinois University.
Looking ahead, Oscar’s short-term goal is to learn more about entrepreneurship and business operations, to gain real-world experience and study successful businesses. The longer-term aim is to launch his own startup.
“I hope to build a successful company and create financial stability for both myself and my family,” Oscar said. “If my first business does not succeed, I am willing to keep trying and continue learning from each experience.”
Like Oscar, Samantha says that every stage of her academic journey has built a foundation for the next step.
“Earning college credits early made the transition to Harper College much smoother because I already understood the pace and responsibility required in college classes,” she said. “At Harper, I strengthened my academic skills even further through courses that improved my writing, critical thinking and professionalism.”
Samantha says her next steps are to gain professional experience, strengthen her leadership and administrative skills, and grow within her career field.
“In the long term, I hope to advance into leadership or management positions where I can help businesses grow, support employees and make a positive impact within an organization,” she said. “I also plan to continue developing professionally and expanding my knowledge so I can take on greater responsibilities and opportunities in the future.”