McCormick High Grad Excels in PTC Dual Enrollment Program

Leah Anthony isn’t your typical teenager. She is a 2017 McCormick High School graduate, but she’s also a 2017 graduate of Piedmont Technical College, thanks to the middle college dual enrollment classes she took.

“I always liked a challenge,” Anthony said. “I thought it would be a good way to know if I was ready for college.”

Anthony took the challenge to heart and excelled. Through summer and dual enrollment classes, she was able to complete her associate in arts degree in May 2017, three weeks before she graduated from high school. Not only did she complete her degree, but Anthony was recognized as the McCormick County Award Winner, a distinction presented to students receiving diplomas and associate degrees who earned the highest GPA from each of the seven counties of Piedmont Technical College’s service area.

“I wanted to make my family proud and prove to myself I could do it,” Anthony said. “I started it and I wanted to finish it at the top of my game.”

Anthony is attending Lander University this fall, pursuing a degree in secondary education with a focus on teaching math. She started as a junior, but she is a combination of excited and nervous.

“I know I’m prepared for the learning environment, but I’m a bit nervous about staying on campus,” she said.

Anthony encourages anyone who is thinking about enrolling in the dual enrollment program to just do it.

“If you think you can and you have a good support system, I say go for it,” she said. “Even if you don’t want to take those classes now, you’ll still need them in the future.”

For more information, contact the Dual Enrollment Office at (864) 941-8352 or go to www.ptc.edu/dualenrollment.