OCTC's Dual Credit Program Helps Students Meet Their Goals

Addison Hamilton Will Transfer to UK Music Therapy

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (02/14/2020) — Kentucky's dual credit college tuition program - which allows students to start earning college credits while they are still in high school - is providing a path to college or work while saving Kentuckians millions of dollars. Last year alone, Kentucky families saved $18 million through dual credit scholarships, which are offered by the state.

"Kentucky's dual credit scholarship program is not only saving students and their families money, but it also provides an easier path to college, and ultimately, career opportunities," OCTC President, Dr. Scott Williams said. "Dual credit is one of the most cost-effective education programs available in Kentucky. We are grateful to our legislators for creating this scholarship."

At Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) in Fall of 2019, 1,259 local high school students took dual-credit courses, which is part of the commitment to raise college attainment in the community as well as expanding access to career options and placing graduates in the workforce at faster rate than in the past.

Addison Hamilton has been a student dually enrolled at OCTC for the past two years. She is on track to graduate in May 2020 from Daviess County High School and will have earned almost 50 college credit hours. Although Addison Hamilton is a familiar face on OCTC's campus, singing and playing guitar at Pathfinder Day, or helping out at various events on campus, technically she is still a senior at Daviess County High School.

Her educational plan is to transfer from OCTC to the University Kentucky and earn a bachelor's degree in Music and then work toward a master's degree in Music Therapy. Music therapists address physical, emotional, cognitive, and psycho-social needs of individuals by applying interventions like singing, playing instruments, movement, improvising, and songwriting.

Since music is very important to Hamilton, it makes sense that the person at OCTC who has made her experience most rewarding is her piano teacher, Alvie Snyder. Snyder and Hamilton have worked together on piano lessons for the past two years and he has had a positive impact on her OCTC experience. He encourages her persistence by rewarding her whenever she is playing a new piece and becomes frustrated, encouraging her to think through the piece and take it step by step. Hamilton looks forward to piano class as it has become a great stress reliever.

Attending OCTC has provided Hamilton with the confidence needed to succeed at a large university, such as UK. Being a concurrently enrolled student allowed her to take classes online, so she was able to progress at her own speed. The flexible schedule allowed Hamilton to work part time, which allowed her to save money. She would tell anyone that is considering college, to attend OCTC. Hamilton believes OCTC is a great place to start before heading to a four-year university or college.

While dual credit is available through all of Kentucky's public universities, it is particularly popular and successful for students at OCTC and the other 15 colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).

Over the last five years, KCTCS has nearly doubled the number of dual credit students, and today, 20,000 students are enrolled in a KCTCS college dual-credit program.

Because tuition at OCTC is less than half of the tuition charged by Kentucky's public universities, OCTC students take on significantly less student debt than other college students in the state. Some even graduate from high school with certificates or an associate degree through the dual credit program.

According to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, dual credit has been linked to higher student GPA's and has a positive impact for minority, low income and academically unprepared students who benefit from being exposed to college courses while still in high school.

To learn more, contact Bernie Hale at bernie.hale@kctcs.edu or visit OCTC.

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