Compton College offers high school students more opportunities and added support through dual enrollment programs
The spark that ignites a young student’s passion for learning is not always obvious, but for Melanie Cabrera—who is currently studying engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles—repeated opportunities to explore something out of the ordinary laid the path for her successful educational journey.
The 20-year-old can first point to Lead the Way, a STEM program introduced to Alondra Middle School in Paramount, where her mother taught math. In 7th grade, she was offered robotics and a design and modeling class in which she created a mug and a keychain using a 3D printer. In 8th grade, she took a class called “Medical Detectives,” learning basic diagnostic skills, and another called “Green Architecture,” in which students were challenged to design a home that could be built by Habitat for Humanity.
“We also did a house that was sustainable, keeping it under budget and sustainable for the environment,” she says. “That’s what inspired me to learn more about engineering.”
Fortunately for Cabrera, Paramount High School participated in a dual-enrollment program with Compton College, a community college in the Los Angeles area. Created by the California state legislature in 2015, the College and Career Access Pathways program allows community colleges to partner with school districts, enabling high school students to take college courses and earn credits toward a college degree. Students can earn up to 15 credits per term. The program aims to improve high school graduation rates and college readiness.
“There’s a lot of students benefiting from dual enrollment,” says Darlene Zarasu, director of partnerships at the college. “Every single resource that we offer our adult students is offered to our dual enrollment students, and we prioritize basic needs.”
Zarazu says popular dual-enrollment courses include economics, art, ethnic studies, Spanish, history, geology, business and engineering technology. She also touts the college’s administration of justice program, which is what initially drew Cabrera in.
“I saw they were offering criminal justice classes, so I took them,” Cabrera says. “These were community college classes taught by college professors at my high school. It was a perfect opportunity.”
Dual enrollment is among the many college pathway programs California Community Colleges offers as part of Vision 2030, a collaborative roadmap overseen by the system’s Chancellor’s Office that aims to enable equitable access to higher education, especially for historically underrepresented groups.
Cabrera says she took advantage of every class she could while attending Paramount High School, enrolling in two college classes each semester and taking summer courses. Upon graduation, she had completed 22 classes, accumulated 90 transferable credits and earned an associate degree in administration of justice.
“It helped me a lot, because about half of the credits were for general education classes like history and English,” says Cabrera, who is on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2027. “Because of that, I didn’t have to focus on those classes and was able to go straight into studying for my major when I came to the university.”
“It helped me a lot, because about half of the credits were for general education classes like history and English. Because of that, I didn’t have to focus on those classes and was able to go straight into studying for my major when I came to the university.”
Melanie Cabrera, Paramount High School/Compton College Dual Enrollment Graduate, Current UCLA Engineering Major
For more information about Compton College’s dual enrollment programs, visit www.compton.edu/start-here/high-school-students.aspx. To learn more about the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and Vision 2030, go to www.cccco.edu.
Written by Dorsey Griffith
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | Dual Enrollment |
