Dual enrollee’s determination pays off

For a lot of high school students, when the school day ended, that meant it was playtime. But that wasn’t the case for Luvlee Day, who attends Parkway Center City Middle College (PCCMC) and is a dual enrollment student at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). 

Instead of heading outside after school, many times, Luvlee needed to stay indoors to do homework. 

While she admits it was hard work and required sacrifices she didn’t think she’d have to make at such a young age, one thing was very clear: Luvlee was not going to quit. The path she chose would teach her a good lesson about the impact of making sacrifices and doing the work. 

“It taught me to keep going,” she said. Luvlee now loves the idea that she’s much further along in her academics as a high school and college graduate.

On Saturday, May 7, 2022, along with about 109 of her peers, Luvlee will graduate from Community College of Philadelphia, earning her associate degree in liberal arts, one month before her high school career has even ended. 

While the dual enrollment process of completing high school and college credits simultaneously had its challenges, Luvlee noted that she just needed time to adjust to the demands of high school and college at a young age. 

Luvlee appreciates the freedom the College offered and the support her PCCMC teachers provided as she and other students learned to deal with their new academic demands. Luvlee, aware of her visual and independent learning style, appreciated that there wasn’t any “hand holding” throughout the dual enrollment process. She liked that it allowed her to figure out the appropriate steps to take on her own and that she could ask and receive help when needed. 

“My teachers and the CCP administrators provided support and were there to spot us when we needed,” she said. “I had great professors and they were a big help when all of our classes went online [during the COVID-19 shutdown].”

The process helped her to realize that at times, it’s necessary to step back, assess her situation and “just do the work,” even if it means putting in extra time and effort. She credits the dual enrollment program for helping her mature and challenging her to keep fighting.

“It makes you realize it was the best thing for me even if it didn’t feel like it at the time,” she said.

Luvlee initially wanted to take a break from school after the last four years of schooling, but she has since been motivated to seek additional information about the College’s Nursing program, a career path she expressed interest in previously.