Introduction

Saint of Santa Fe | Norah Parks-Church

Saint of Santa Fe | Norah Parks-Church

Norah Parks-Church, a dual-enrolled student at Santa Fe College, poses for a photo to be featured as a Saint of Santa Fe College on Feb. 26, 2021. (Matt Stamey /Santa Fe College )

I heard about the Dual Enrollment program at Santa Fe from my friends at Gainesville High School. I thought it sounded interesting, so I looked into it more. I made the decision to go for it right after the coronavirus turned into a global pandemic and in-person classes were cancelled for the end of Spring 2020. I realized that online classes really helped me to learn in some situations, but that my high school’s classes weren’t really working for me. My friends who were already Dual Enrolled and had good things to say about the program, so I decided to apply.
 
Taking Dual Enrollment classes has helped me by letting me experience the difficulty level and the feeling of college level classes. This term I’m taking Art History, Core Biology 1, Precalculus, American History, and English 1102. By the time I graduate high school, I will probably have taken between 17 and 19 classes at Santa Fe, all of which will count as college credit towards my A.A. degree.
 
So far, my favorite class at Santa Fe has been the Environmental Science class I took last term. Professor Tyson was a really good teacher who helped me and the rest of the class learn a lot of interesting and important things about the environment. I’ve been interested in the ocean and the environment for almost all my life, and I’m really passionate about the subject. I’m hoping to pursue a career in something related to marine biology.
 
I think that the Dual Enrollment program has helped advance my college career by giving me an understanding of college level classes and of college experiences. After I graduate, my goal is to go to a college in Florida and get my bachelor’s degree, maybe in science, and learn more about the world.
 
~ Nora Parks-Church