Many people don’t think graduating early is possible, but Elizabeth Goodwin graduated a whole year early. With the help of her school counselor and principals, she was able to figure out what she needed to do to be able to do this. She was taking senior and junior classes her junior year. Even with her parents not approving of the idea, she still followed her dreams and was able to start college a year early.

Q : How much work did it take to be able to graduate early? 

 “ In order to graduate early, I had to go meet with my school counselor and my principals. They told me what my requirements would be and what classes I would have to take on top of my regular schedule as well as how much it was going to cost. I had a regular sophomore year and then over the summer I took a Junior English class. The start of my junior/senior year of high school I had a full schedule taking both junior and senior classes. Second semester of that year I was taking 8 classes in order to get credit requirements to graduate in the spring.” 

Q : Were there certain classes you had to take? 

 “As a classified junior in high school, I was taking several senior level classes including American Government and senior English class over the summer since 4 English credits are required.” 

Q : Do you ever regret not doing you last year of high school?

 “Looking back I know I made the right decision for myself and my education. Sometimes seeing my friends who I grew up with living out there senior year without me there with them feels strange but at the end of the day I know I made the right decision for myself.”

Q : Where do you go to college currently? 

 “I am currently a freshman at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois studying Kinesiology/ Pre-physical therapy.” 

Q : Were there any other students in your class that graduated early? 

 “There were students who graduated at semester, but as far as I know no other students graduated a year early.” 

Q : Was there a program you had to do? 

 “Over the summer, I did an online program called “Greenbush” for my online English course.” 

Q : Do you think you made the right decision by graduating early?

 “I know I made the right choice. Although I was thankful for my time at Baldwin High school, I was ready to leave home and experience something new. When I first brought up the idea to my parents they told me that it was a terrible idea and that I should just “stick it out” through my last year and graduate on time. After hearing that I was a little discouraged but continued to talk to them and eventually they came to terms . In July of 2023, I went to a Nazarene youth convention in Tampa Bay Florida. At this convention, in Tampa Bay Florida, all of the Nazarene schools had booths and were encouraging students to check out their colleges. I personally didn’t because I was set on going to school in either Arkansas or Arizona. A few months after attending this, I got a package in the mail saying I had received a full 4 year tuition scholarship to olivet. We soon found out that Olivet had sent this same scholarship to all the current seniors(class of 2024). This came as a complete shock to me and my family and although I wasn’t sure about going to school here, I decided to give it a visit just in case. I ended up really liking the school and with such a good scholarship, decided to attend Olivet in the fall. If it wasn’t for me graduating early I wouldn’t have received this scholarship, therefore I made the right decision.”

Q : Are there any tips you have for anyone trying to graduate early?

 “Some tips I could offer are: 1. Keep up with your work, falling behind makes everything so much more stressful. 2. make sure to communicate to all your teachers, your plans and continue to keep them updated with any changes. 3. Don’t be afraid to seek help if needed. Your principals, counselors, and teachers all want to see you succeed and are there for you.”