HIGH SCHOOL TO HIGHER ED

As Spring Term comes to an end, graduation season is right behind – which for Middle College students at Mt. Hood means double the responsibility of successfully wrapping up final projects, final exams and the graduation process itself.

Alanah Pluchos is a Middle College student at MHCC, a program that allows early college entry for eligible high school juniors and seniors, who take all their classes at Mt. Hood.

She did the Metro East Early College Academy (MEECA) program, which paid for all of her schooling up, to $1,500 per term. This is one of the main reasons she decided to sacrifice a normal high school experience to get an associate’s degree basically for free, along with her high school diploma.

Pluchos said that being around students of typical college age, she “didn’t feel like an early college student,” but felt like a normal high school alumnus. Her MHCC classmates often did not know that she was younger. 

Her plan after graduation next month is to get a bachelor’s degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. Her goal is to become a pilot, majoring in Aeronautical Science. The flight program will take about two years to complete, since she is transferring with a significant amount of credits.

As for any students who are planning to do Middle College at Mt. Hood, Pluchos recommends that they take as many college credit classes as possible at  the beginning of high school in order to be able to complete the program within two years. 

However, this route is not for everyone, she warns. It is a hard decision to make. One of the sacrifices that was difficult for Pluchos to make was to give up the social aspect of high school, especially senior year. The last year of high school is unique because it is the home stretch so to speak, and exclusive “senior only” events take place, she explained. 

Still, Mt. Hood is a good option for many high school students who want to accelerate their education in an affordable manner.

For more information on the Middle College program: mhcc.edu/MiddleCollege/

Advocate Staff