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When Anna Minnick graduates from Central Montcalm High School next spring, she will have completed nearly a year of college courses, too.

Minnick started taking dual-enrollment classes through Montcalm Community College last year when she was a junior in high school. She completed coursework in communication and psychology. This fall, the 17-year-old high school senior is enrolled in biology, bioethics and English 100 – all online. She plans to take more college courses in the spring.

“At my school, we have time allotted during our second and third periods that I use to do my college classes,” she said.

Along with dual enrollment, Minnick is a cheerleader. She also participates in band and color guard and is a member of her high school’s National Honor Society and student council.

“I keep myself busy,” she said. “I appreciate the flexibility of having my dual enrollment classes online. It allows me to do the work around other things in my schedule.”

Minnick said she finds college classes to be more difficult than high school classes, but she enjoys the challenge.

“They are harder, so I have to put more time and effort into them than high school classes,” she said. “It’s preparing me for transfer.”

Minnick plans to continue her undergraduate work at Grand Valley State University where she intends to study kinesiology.

“I would like to become an athletic trainer or physical therapist,” she said. “I really like sports and I think it would be rewarding to work with athletes. It would allow me to be involved with sports and also to be helping people.”

Minnick encourages other high schoolers to take advantage of the opportunities of dual-enrolling in college classes.

“I think you have to have the mindset that this is serious and you have to apply yourself to your coursework,” she said.

“It is really rewarding. The fact that I’m earning college credits for free and those credits will transfer make it worth it,” she said. “It’s helping me get ahead in college.”