By Emily Chadwick
While students come back from winter break and prepare for finals, Kyla Kramer is prepares to start college. Kramer dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. Since then she has earned her GED (General Education Development) and is enrolled to start next semester at M-State (Minnesota State Community and Technical College) one and a half years ahead of her graduating class.
M-State has open enrollment, which means the admission requires that students have either a high school diploma or their GED. They do not have minimum GPA or ACT requirements. Laura Kimele is one of the enrollment managers at M-State. She deals with admitting students whether they have a high school diploma or GED. One of her duties is to go through applicants.
“We view students with their GED the same as those who received a high school diploma,” Kimele said. “Students are asked to take either the ACT or Accuplacer assessment, which we provide on our campus, to determine placement for math and English classes.”
Kramer grew up in a small town with small classes so when she moved here it was a huge change. She went to the STEM Center because it had smaller classes. In high school, she dealt with major accounts of anxiety that made it difficult for her do go through each day of school, leading up to her decision to drop out.
“When I started at Sheyenne I started getting really bad anxiety so between that and getting harassed every day I just couldn’t deal with going there anymore,” Kramer said.
She said the fall of sophomore year she started online classes, but it was expensive and hard so she decided to get her GED so she could start college earlier.
“I felt like I was going to be like every other freshman kid. And I thought my anxiety was normal, until it started getting worse and worse and then I knew something was wrong with me,” Kramer said.
Although Kramer received her GED, counselor Julie Hersch believes there are other alternatives students should consider before dropping out of high school.
“I would never ever recommend dropping out of high school for anyone because I know for a fact that it is almost impossible to make a decent living and have a nice future for yourself,” Hersch said. “Try something else like Community High or talking to your principal or counselor.”
Kramer may have dropped out of high school, but she has made numerous accomplishments in dealing with her circumstances.
“At the time I regretted dropping out just for the fact I am missing out on that high school experience, but I’m happy with how far I’ve come now and it’s not like I could go back anyway,” Kramer said.
Kimele said they have individuals from all different circumstances that apply for their college, such as first- generation college students, veterans, parents, people who work full-time, or even individuals where English may not be their first language. Kramer thinks she will fit right in with the diverse population at M-State.
“With any student, personal circumstances always play a role in our success, and the way we achieve it. Sometimes it can be in a student’s best interest to receive their diploma in a different setting, but I do not think it’s a decision that should be made lightly” Kimele said. “I think it’s important for students to know that they can receive a college education whether or not they receive a high school diploma, but that it’s important to make the decision that is best for them.”