{"id":1555,"date":"2026-01-07T08:30:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T08:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1555"},"modified":"2026-01-06T17:20:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:20:30","slug":"dual-enrollment-degree-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2026\/01\/07\/dual-enrollment-degree-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Dual Enrollment to Degree"},"content":{"rendered":"
For Gracie Queen, a Point Pleasant, West Virginia, native, the path to her career began long before she stepped foot on Marshall University\u2019s Huntington campus. By taking advantage of dual enrollment courses through Marshall\u2019s Herd Academy<\/a>, Gracie was able to earn valuable college credit while still in high school\u2014saving time, money and ultimately graduating from Marshall a full year early.<\/p>\n

\"Gracie<\/p>\n

\u201cI first heard about the dual enrollment program during my sophomore year of high school,\u201d Gracie said. \u201cMy counselors were very adamant that these classes would help me get ahead in my college career and that it was also a great financial decision since I already knew I would be attending Marshall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDual enrollment gave me the flexibility to dedicate more time to internships and campus experiences.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Gracie Queen<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Gracie completed many of her general education requirements before graduating from Point Pleasant High School. That head start allowed Gracie to step into her major courses in marketing with confidence and ease.<\/p>\n

Thanks to her dual enrollment credits, Gracie arrived on campus in 2021 already ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking these courses gave me the opportunity to dive into my major-specific courses early. It made me more at ease, and I was able to start getting involved on campus right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marketing<\/p>\n

Even with an accelerated academic schedule, Gracie immersed herself in campus life. She became a Presidential Ambassador, a Peer Mentor for UNI 100, and a member of Baptist Campus Ministries, the American Marketing Association, and the TEDxMarshallU planning team. Gracie was even elected to Marshall\u2019s Homecoming Court in 2022.<\/p>\n

Outside the classroom, she also gained significant career experience. Gracie worked as a student assistant in Marshall\u2019s Information Technology Department, interned with the Charleston Dirty Birds professional baseball team, and later joined Marshall\u2019s Marketing and Communications Department as a student intern.<\/p>\n

\u201cDual enrollment gave me the flexibility to dedicate more time to internships and campus experiences,\u201d Gracie said. \u201cThose opportunities helped shape my college journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gracie<\/p>\n

In spring 2024, Gracie earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing\u2014a full year ahead of schedule. That early graduation allowed her to step into the professional world while many of her peers were still finishing their senior year.<\/p>\n

\n\tI was able to save a year\u2019s worth of tuition and ease the cost of my student loan debt.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Gracie Queen<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

She now works at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia in Charleston.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraduating early helped me apply for this position sooner. It gave me the chance to grow my career earlier, and I felt more confident stepping into new responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The financial benefits were also significant for Gracie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to save a year\u2019s worth of tuition and ease the cost of my student loan debt. That gave me more flexibility when relocating for my new job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Looking back, Gracie says the biggest advantage of dual enrollment was the head start it gave her both academically and professionally.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt saved me time and money, but it also gave me the confidence to know I could handle the collegiate workload.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gracie<\/p>\n

Her advice to high school students? \u201cTake advantage of the opportunity even if it feels challenging at first. You\u2019ll thank yourself later when you see how much it prepares you for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though her years at Marshall were shorter than most, Gracie says her experience was deeply meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to represent the Marshall community as a West Virginia native. Marshall gave me the foundation to grow, and I carry that with me into my career every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on dual enrollment programs at Marshall University, visit www.marshall.edu\/herdacademy<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Gracie Queen, a Point Pleasant, West Virginia, native, the path to her career began long before she stepped foot on Marshall University\u2019s Huntington campus. By taking advantage of dual enrollment courses through Marshall\u2019s Herd Academy, Gracie was able to earn valuable college credit while still in high school\u2014saving time, money and ultimately graduating from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1555"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1570,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions\/1570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}