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Lexington 2 seniors earn college degrees, certificates

13 seniors are getting their Associate in Arts degrees, and 11 earned general college studies certificates from Midlands Tech.

Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- At Midlands Technical College's graduation ceremony Wednesday evening, college students celebrated their big milestone and walked the stage.

Alongside the college students were 24 high schoolers. They, too, completed college courses and will begin their next chapter ahead of the rest.

"They're my children. We've been through so many things. We've cried, we've laughed, we've celebrated," said Judi Bledsoe, Early College Coordinator and School Counselor for Lexington District 2.

Twenty-four students from Lexington 2 made it to the big leagues.

Through the district's Early College Program, 13 seniors are getting their Associate in Arts degrees. In earning an Associate in Arts degree, that means they have already earned 64 college credits through roughly 20 courses during their high school years. District officials say two of these seniors also will receive Associate in Science degrees.

Eleven high school students also earned General College Studies certificates, with a minimum of 18 college credits.

"I finished all my high school classes my junior year, so my senior year, all my classes were Midlands Tech. Every single one of them," said Saibriyya Pou, a senior at Airport High School.

The students don't pay a dime for anything in the program, not even their books.

All courses through their junior year are already required at all major colleges and universities in South Carolina.

"So you're getting out of the way the English 101, the Sociology, the two histories, the computer [class]," said Bledsoe. "You're getting out of the way those specific things. Then in their senior year, they're picking and choosing the courses that will go directly into their major."

Autumn Jackson qualifies as a senior at Midlands Tech.

"I can graduate from Winthrop in two years, so I plan on staying for the whole four and getting my Masters Degree," said Jackson. "My major is Art Education, so I'm planning on being an art teacher."

Getting to this point wasn't easy. 

Some students, like Weston Campbell, took college courses during the summer.

"As long as I kept up with my school work with the college classes, they weren't that much harder than my high school classes," said Campbell. "It's just getting behind the work and keep going...It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be because I still did wrestling, I had a job. I just did my stuff when I got home."

Campbell plans to attend the University of South Carolina to study Biology, followed by a veterinarian degree at Alabama.

Pou is going to Clemson as an advanced sophomore on a full-ride scholarship.

"I took 20 college classes. I have 62 college credits, so now I have an Associates Arts degree," said Pou. "I'm gonna major in pre-professional health studies to become a doctor of physical therapy."

January 29, Pou's family lost everything in a house fire.

"At first it was hard, but now we've moved into a new place," she said. "We're starting over. Everything's coming together."

She says teachers at Airport High School came together to donate clothes and appliances to her family. 

"Everybody came together. My professors at Midlands Tech were very understanding. They gave me time to catch back up," said Pou. "Obstacles do not define you. As long as you motivate yourself and you push for it, you can achieve anything."

The Early College Program started at Airport High School, but has since expanded to Brookland-Cayce High School.

For more information on the program, click here.

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