Seniors in an English class are working on their diction assignment for class for the day. Some are done and chatting with friends about recent events. Students  ask each other for help with the assignment. Among the hard working seniors, there is one student that is taking two English classes this year, and senior is Avery Walker.

Seniors, with the right credits, have the opportunity to  graduate early. Walker is just one senior who will be able to graduate in December instead of in May.

 “My sophomore year was the first time I considered graduating early,” Walker said. “I went to talk to my counselor and she helped me get excited about dual enrollment and free college opportunities. To get the requirements done, all I have to do is double up on English classes, one in school and one through Metro.”

There are many counselors at Bellevue East that students can talk to. Counselor Casie Onken is just one of many who have helped students who have wanted to graduate early.

“I usually ask them why, what would be the benefit for them to graduate early and the second thing is how are they planning on doing that, and what are they doing when it gets approved,” Onken said. “It doesn’t just have to be approved by me but it also has to be approved by Dr. Wagner, then has to be approved through downtown. So there are multiple steps that go through the process.”

There can be many reasons for students wanting to graduate early.  For Walker, she wants to have more of a challenge than what she’s currently receiving in high school.

“I wasn’t feeling challenged or like I was progressing towards anything so I started considering graduating early,” Walker said. “If I wasn’t finding success in where I was, why not move forward to somewhere where I’d find purpose?”

Counselors are here to help with school and your future, but teachers can help as well. For Walker, she had also gotten help from her GPS teacher, instructor Piper Porras. 

“I always like to help students talk through things,” Porras said. “So we weighed pros and cons, I helped her with some application things with BYU [Brigham Young University]. Avery has all of her credits and knows what she wants to do. I remember me and Avery looking through that too. She had some questions about transcripts and I was like ‘here’s the number to call to do it, here’s the point of contact.’”

For students who are graduating early and planning on going to college in the spring as well as walking at graduation, there can be a little obstacle. Seniors don’t get their diploma until after they walk.

“Most of the students who graduate still want to walk at graduation,” Onken said. “So just making sure they are getting all the information that seniors would get in the second semester, making sure that they know times and important dates if they wanted to apply for a school in the spring. Technically, they are done, then they would ask us to contact that school and verify all the requirements for graduation.”

Graduating from high school is a huge accomplishment. If students know what they want to do with their futures, then early graduation may be the right choice.

“I would just like to add that the opportunity to graduate early is so cool,” Walker said. “Not enough students know about this and they think it’s hard. It requires effort, but it’s not hard. If you are ready to progress and not be stuck in a place with zero growth, consider the option of graduating early.”