Community college dual enrollment program puts high school students on the fast track to university life
Karina Carachure was halfway through her junior year at Santa Barbara’s Alta Vista Alternative High School when her counselor broached an idea that would fast-track her life: “Why don’t you enroll in college?” the counselor suggested, with the added kicker—“There’s no need to wait.”
The notion startled the teenager. Was she ready? What could she expect if she decided to go to Middle College, a Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) dual enrollment program that enables high school students seeking to jump-start their post-secondary education?
“I think I was really scared,” Carachure says.
But the counselor persisted, and Carachure transcended her fear. She went on to win honors at SBCC and earn credits that she applied to her eventual transfer to UC Berkeley.
Now a senior at that university, Carachure is on schedule to graduate in May.
“The only reason I was able to complete community college in two years was because of dual enrollment,” Carachure says.
Dual enrollment is a major component of the California Community College system’s Vision 2030 goals, aimed at increasing access and equity in education and to help California’s learners with low incomes enter the economic mainstream. For the academically inclined like Carachure, Vision 2030 initiatives help students achieve their dreams of transferring to four-year schools. For others, they provide degrees, credentialing and apprenticeship programs necessary to find and hold good-paying jobs that can support a family.
“Once I was in dual enrollment, I was able to work a job and also help my parents with the responsibilities at home. It allowed me to have that flexibility.”
Karina Carachure, Santa Barbara City College Dual Enrollment Graduate, Current UC Berkeley Student
Through Middle College, Carachure signed up for college-level math, social science, Spanish and psychology classes while still in high school. They figured into the 70 units she ultimately accumulated to transfer to Berkeley.
“I think Middle College was an easier and smoother way to transition into being more independent,” Carachure says. “Once I was in dual enrollment, I was able to work a job and also help my parents with the responsibilities at home. It allowed me to have that flexibility.”
The SBCC Promise program paid for Carachure’s books and tuition. She also worked as a mentor, tutor, and as a waitress at a Santa Barbara restaurant. She helped relaunch the campus chapter of MEChA, a Chicano unity and empowerment organization. She still had time to graduate with honors and win the SBCC Foundation’s President’s Scholarship.
“What I always loved and appreciated most about Karina is her willingness to step outside of her comfort zone and take risks in order to grow and develop as a person,” says her SBCC counselor, Regina Freking. “I’ve so loved seeing Karina discover her sense of self and gain confidence over the years. Her contributions to our campus made Karina a natural choice to receive the highest honor that SBCC has to offer: The President’s Scholarship.”
Says Carachure: “When I got to Berkeley, I couldn’t believe it. It became more of a question, how do I achieve success here? Everyone is always doing something, and the pressure gets to you. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others when you’re surrounded by some of the smartest, most hard-working people.”
Eventually, Carachure fell in with a mostly-transfer dorm crowd that needed and shared motivational and emotional support. Now she is way past any transfer stigma. These days, she also earns room and board as a resident assistant in her dorm, and contributes a weekly column to the university newspaper, The Daily Californian.
Who knows what’s next for Carachure after graduation.
“I’m open,” she says, “to opportunities.”
For more information about Santa Barbara City College’s Middle College dual enrollment program, go to www.sbcc.edu/middlecollege/. To learn more about the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and Vision 2030, go to www.cccco.edu.
Written by Andy Furillo
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | Dual Enrollment – High School |
