A local high school senior will have her Associate’s Degree before receiving her high school diploma. Washington senior Porscha McClanahan will be graduating from Kirkwood Community College and at the end of the month she’ll don her cap and gown to receive her high school diploma. She said it was a lot of work to get to this point, “I feel great and relief that it’s almost over. It’s a stressful ride. Well, you have to take more than one or two Kirkwood classes here and there. You have to basically fill up your schedule. I’ve had to take online classes and I’ve had to take summer classes, as well. It’s a lot of content, but it’s not too hard if you manage everything correctly.”

She also balanced her time and was involved in band, National Honor Society, drama, and book club. She plans to continue her education and become a teacher, “I’m going to the University of Northern Iowa to major in elementary education and minor in American Sign Language. I will have my first two years done. And once I apply to the teaching program I’ll just go straight into the teaching stuff.”

Kirkwood Washington Regional Director Tera Pickens reminds students that June 1st is the deadline to enroll in academy courses for area high school students. These college-level classes are free to partner high school students.