Brownsville Early College High School and Texas Southmost College dual credit graduate Ramses Linan received his diploma in June during his high school’s graduation ceremony. He plans to do it all over again on July 31, but this time he’ll receive his associate degree in general studies from TSC during the college’s first-ever virtual graduation ceremony.
“It was awesome to graduate high school with a diploma and an associate degree,” said Linan. “I plan to attend TSC’s virtual graduation, too. I like that I have that extra degree under my belt that can help me get a job while in college. It doesn’t hurt to have it.”
Determined to get a step ahead of the game and with the full support of his family, Linan decided to take dual credit courses when the opportunity was offered to him and his classmates during his sophomore year.
“My family was behind me 100%, they are extremely supportive of anything school related,” said Linan, who graduated from BECHS as class valedictorian. “It’s the highest priority for my family. They are always there for me and making sure I’m being responsible.”
In addition to his classes, Linan participated in the Chess Club, Math Club, Rotary Interact Club and was a member of the National Honor Society.
The 18-year-old BECHS class valedictorian said that he was able to balance his high school and college coursework with the help of his family, TSC instructors and a healthy dose of time management.
“It’s an awesome experience that teaches you a lot about college, schedules and structure,” said Linan. “You have some great instruction on both sides and get the best of both worlds. You could tell the dual credit instructors were from TSC. They treated us like college students and gave us a college experience, that’s what they were preparing us for. It’s a lot of time management and if I could go back, I would do it again.”
Linan plans to continue to pursue a bachelor’s degree in finance in Austin, although he may take the first semester online from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether in-person or online, he credits TSC for providing a college experience that prepared him for the next step in his educational career.
“I liked it (dual credit), especially now that I’m signing up for classes in Austin,” he said. “The classes I took through TSC’s dual enrollment program felt like college classes and not high school classes. It was a great experience that prepared me for my next step and will help me in the future, and even now.”