Opinion: Early College was my path to a brighter future

Lawrence High School & Merrimack College

My name is Shelein Rojas and I am a first generation Latina student at Merrimack College. During my junior and senior years of high school I was enrolled into Early College with Merrimack. I took 1 class every semester on the Merrimack campus. In total I earned 12 credits at the end of my high school career. Currently I am on the path to graduate 1 semester early. I am studying Communication and Media with various minors including public relations, global management, and social gender studies. I am extremely grateful and passionate that I am able to expand my education and it’s all due to the Early College classes I took during high school. I am able to take extra classes that are still covered by my scholarship and expand my interests and academic experiences because I have a semester worth of classes to fill. I love learning, and it’s the reason why I decided to add 3 minors. My love for learning was also the reason why I enrolled into the Early College program in my high school.

I have to admit, freshman year of high school was not my best and it was even worse academically. I was falling short on friendships and the relationships between my family members and I. This pushed me to become even more isolated from everything I loved including school. I began avoiding school because of the lack of completion I felt with everything outside of school. That same summer I had to attend summer school. It made me realize just how far back I had let myself fall. It was a really tough time for me, but transitioning into sophomore year I promised myself I would change everything around. Moving forward I did exactly that and more.

When I heard about the opportunity of taking Early College classes I immediately jumped at the opportunity. It was a perfect way to challenge myself while expanding my education without involving something after school. During high school I had a hard time doing extracurricular activities because I had to work to support my mom and myself. I viewed Early College classes as an opportunity to make up for those extracurriculars I could not do and redeem my academic standing. It was also a way to begin carving a path of interest for me. By taking multiple classes, each with a different focus major, I explored what career paths I may be interested in. I remember sitting in the first class I took at Merrimack with a sense of relief that there is a future beyond what I could have ever imagined for myself.

Aside from narrowing down my interests in careers, Early College helped me professionally with skills such as time-management, efficient communication, and networking. These skills have helped pave the way for me to be the student speaker at the Annual Pioneer Ceremony, the social media manager of Merrimack College’s Newspaper, and speak to all of you in this room right now. I am still reaping the benefits of taking Early College in high school. That experience will forever stay with me as I advance in my career.

I speak for all students because Early College has no disadvantages, only advantages and opportunities for students. I ask you to keep in mind the students I stand behind today, those who are economically disadvantaged, who may or may not look like me. I ask you all to keep in mind the students who are hoping for a hint at a brighter future, because I was that student once.