“It feels surreal, but amazing!”

Seventeen-year-old Sofia D. is preparing to walk the stage and earn her high school diploma with college credits from Austin Community College District (ACC). She is ahead of the game thanks to the dual credit program and plans to continue this fall. 

“I did take dual credit and I loved it! The professors are very attentive, and the workload does not differ much from other advanced classes,” says Sofia.

When choosing where to go after high school, Sofia found affordable higher education to be key. 

“Having researched how expensive tuition can be and the dropping nationwide enrollment rates, I was surprised that ACC offered it for free. I immediately knew that I had to jump on the opportunity.”

Now, Sofia will continue at ACC to get ahead before transferring. 

“I wanted to use the free tuition to finish my core classes before transferring to a four-year program. It allows me to take the following steps in my education by giving me more time to save money and complete the basic core requirements in preparation for my transfer without worrying about incurring extra costs.”

She’ll be majoring in Studio Art and plans to transfer to a university to pursue Art Education with a possible minor or double major in Interior Design. Her long-term goal? Becoming an art teacher.

“I want to be a teacher because I love helping others. School is often depicted as a boring or stressful place for students, and I want to change that.”

Sofia offers this advice to other students considering college: “Do not be afraid to ask questions! Make sure to reach out to all the people you can; they are here to help.”

And a final word of encouragement: “You can do this!”

For more information about dual credit, visit austincc.edu/dualcredit. 

During the spring 2025 semester, more than 3,200 students from Leander ISD, including dual credit and credit students, were enrolled at ACC. More than 200 of these students were invited to participate in ACC’s spring 2025 Commencement ceremony. 

To celebrate high school graduates and ACC dual credit students like Sofia and the rest of the Class of 2025, visit austincc.edu/commencement.

Tags: Dual Credit, Free Tuition, Leadner ISD, Spring 2025 Commencement, Spring 2025 Graduation