Huntington Beach, Calif. — Fifty-one seniors at Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley have submitted their petitions to graduate from Golden West College (GWC) with their Associate of Arts degrees, months before they will graduate with their high school diplomas.
The students are part of Los Amigos’ Early College Academy (ECA), a dual-enrollment program that allows students to begin taking college-level courses taught by GWC faculty as early as 9th grade. The 51 students graduating this spring are the first cohort to complete the program, having earned 60 units of college credit over the past four years.
Early College Academy was highlighted on KCAL News on March 11 as part of the network’s Class Act Spotlight feature.
“Our partnership with Los Amigos is a source of pride for GWC,” says GWC President Meridith Randall. “The graduation this year is the fruition of four years of hard work from students as well as college and high school faculty and employees. We look forward to many more graduation classes in the future.”
Classes that are part of the ECA are completely free, including the cost of textbooks. Most of the students in this year’s cohort are university bound and will begin their bachelor’s degree journeys with many course requirements already complete.
“These students have achieved an important milestone in their college journey and saved themselves time and money by completing college courses for free while in high school,” says Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Dual Enrollment Lauren Davis Sosenko. “It will be exciting to see what they do next, and the jumpstart this experience provides to their ultimate educational and career goals.”
Golden West College’s dual and concurrent enrollment program helps high school students achieve college and career readiness. In partnership with local high schools, the program supports student needs by offering opportunities to enroll in college-level courses to support high school graduation rates, increasing the number of students who are college- and career-ready upon graduating from high school, increasing students’ preparation to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and developing seamless Career Education pathways from high school to community college.
