When Madison Honeck arrives at the Rochester Institute of Technology for classes this fall, it will be more like the continuation of college than a start.
The senior at Allegany-Limestone Central School is set to graduate this summer from SUNY Jamestown Community College with an associate's degree in Individual Studies and a Healthcare Studies certificate.
“It is not something that an A-L student has ever accomplished before that I am aware of,” Honeck said of earning a two-year degree while still in high school. “When I realized that I had a chance to do it, I wanted to challenge myself and accomplish it. I figured if I could be remembered for anything at A-L, this was a good thing to be remembered for.”
Honeck's path to the milestone began in ninth grade when she took her first college class through JCC. It really ramped up the summer between her sophomore and junior years, when she enrolled in summer JCC courses through the EARN program, a JCC program that helps high school students accelerate on a college pathway while helping to offset costs.
From there, Honeck steadily built a college transcript through a combination of College Connections dual enrollment courses at Allegany-Limestone, more summer EARN classes, and acceptance into the competitive health professions program through Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES and JCC.
The accomplishment is the result of careful academic planning and an extraordinary course load. JCC faculty Morgan Franchina and Sarah Bray worked with Honeck and her family to map out the credit requirements needed to complete the degree within her high school timeline.
In the fall semester of her senior year alone, Honeck carried 22 college credits from JCC. This spring, her mother Angela said, she is completing an additional 24 college credits thanks in large part to JCC's long-standing concurrent enrollment programs that have supported regional high school students since 1998.
“JCC offers such a great opportunity to Allegany-Limestone students,” A-L superintendent Tony Giannicchi said. “Not only financially in the long term but academically giving students the skills to compete with students around the U.S. and globally when pursuing higher lever education after high school. Madison exemplifies this with her accomplishments at JCC.”
Beyond academics, Honeck is a three-sport varsity athlete at Allegany-Limestone, serves as president of multiple clubs and student organizations at her high school, and holds a part-time job. Most of her days start with 7:30 a.m. classes at BOCES and end late with practices, games, or work.
On top of everything else, Honeck has also completed clinical rotation hours at local hospitals and physicians' offices as part of the healthcare professions curriculum.
“More than anything, this year has taught me how important time-management and perseverance is,” said Honeck, who added that she feels “I can do almost anything” after all she has accomplished this senior year.
Honeck’s JCC coursework has included Anatomy and Physiology, Statistics, Pre-Calculus, Spanish, English Composition, Leadership, and a full slate of healthcare-focused courses.
In the fall, Honeck will enroll at RIT to pursue a degree in diagnostic medical sonography, a step toward her long-term goal of owning a pediatric cardiac sonography clinic. All 67 of the college credits she will receive – 57 from JCC – will be accepted for transfer to RIT, Angela Honeck said. She also received a scholarship from RIT for her membership in JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year college students.
“I really think my experience has been a bridge that will remove the shock of the freshman year transition,” Honeck said. “There is a higher rigor associated with college classes, specific deadlines, learning how to use college learning platforms, and being able to effectively communicate with professors and instructors in a way where I can’t just walk down the hallways and find them to ask them a question.”
Honeck encourages other high school students to take advantage of dual enrollment and early college opportunities through JCC.
"It is such a great opportunity that our high school offers these classes and the opportunity to take summer classes utilizing the EARN grant," she said. "I do not regret the craziness of this year one bit."
JCC offers dual enrollment and College Connections courses at high schools across its service region, as well as access to the EARN grant for eligible students. For more information, visit sunyjcc.edu/programs/high-school.