Dual Enrollment Helps Grad Get a Head Start on Future
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
Moving to Arizona from California during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced Breanna Williams to the benefits of dual enrollment.
Her high school, Heritage Academy in Maricopa, is one of the dozens of schools that partner with Rio Salado College to offer early college opportunities through dual enrollment.
Students take dual-eligible classes at their school, and earn both high school and college credit.
Williams jumped at the opportunity to get a head start on her college degree.
“I chose Rio for dual enrollment so I could earn college credits while I was in high school and graduate with an associate degree early,” Williams said.
In addition to her in-person dual classes, Williams also enrolled in a few online classes concurrently, proving her with enough credits for an associate degree in General Education.
“It was challenging balancing online college courses with high school classes and extracurricular activities,” Williams said. “I found that I would usually spend my weekends working on my online college classes.”
Because Williams aspires to become an attorney one day, it is not a surprise that her favorite class focused on learning about legal issues in the criminal justice system.
“My favorite class at Rio was Procedural Criminal Law,” Williams said. “My funniest moments at school happened in that class.”
Williams happily joined the Class of 2025 and walked the stage at Rio Salado College’s commencement ceremony on May 8, 2025, at the Arizona Financial Theater in Phoenix.
Initial data shows that of the 615 associate degrees earned by Rio Salado students this year, 408 were from dual enrollment students.
“Thanks to support from my family and my high school counselor, I reached my graduation goal,” Williams said. “I feel like attaining my degree at Rio Salado is the biggest accomplishment I could ever have and an early sign of future success.”
With her associate degree in hand, Williams is ready for the next step in her education journey.
“My future goal is to attend a four-year institution this fall and major in political science on a pre-law track,” Williams said. “Then, I will enroll in law school to pass the bar exam and become a lawyer.”
Williams is proud to be a first-generation college student, and happily recommends Rio Salado to those pursuing their dreams of a college degree.
“I would recommend Rio to future dual enrollment students because they can get a head start on their graduation plans,” she said.