Join Lamiah Walker in Early College Success: Register for Dual Enrollment Today
August 7, 2024 | Payton Potter | Student Success
CHATTANOOGA, TN — Getting a head start in college is easy with Dual Enrollment at Chattanooga State Community College—just ask Lamiah Walker.
Walker started her collegiate journey as a high school junior at Signal Mountain High School, where she took dual enrollment classes via ChattState that enabled her to earn both high school and college credit at the same time.
By the time she graduated from high school, Walker had earned 18 credit hours, accounting for more than one semester of college-level learning.
Getting a head start enabled her to bypass some general education classes once she arrived at Austin Peay University, allowing her to take classes that were specific to her major in her first semester.
“Dual enrollment knocked out those prerequisite math, science, and English credits I needed before I actually started learning about my field,” she said. Plus, “everything transferred easily.”
Walker had a clear idea of her professional future even as a high school student. As an athlete, she said she was inspired by the leadership of team captains and other aspects of team building. She chose to pursue a career in leadership, management, or human resources.
At Austin Peay, she majored in Leadership & Management. When she transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, that degree became Applied Leadership, which she completed in 2024.
She is now a graduate student working toward a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Trevecca Nazarene University.
Beyond helping her get ahead in her educational career, Walker said dual enrollment classes also helped prepare her for college-level coursework.
“Dual enrollment classes helped me with time management and fine-tuned the independent work-study habits you need when you go from high school to college,” she said.
The College offers dual enrollment programs in a variety of formats, including online, in-person on every ChattState campus, and in-person at more than 20 area high schools. Options like Collegiate High and STEM School Chattanooga also allow dual enrollment students to learn in person at high schools on ChattState's campus, letting them experience college life firsthand while completing their high school education and earning college credits.
Dual-enrolled students may qualify for several forms of financial aid, including Tennessee Promise, HOPE Scholarship, and the Dual Enrollment Grant. Students who qualify for Tennessee Promise can attend five dual enrollment classes tuition-free.
To learn more, or enroll in a dual enrollment course, students should contact their high school counselor.
Home-schooled students, or any other student hoping to learn more about dual enrollment at Chattanooga State, can contact ChattState’s Early College office at earlycollege@chattanoogastate.edu or 423.697.4427.