When Ella Zierott was a
junior at Elmwood-Murdock High School, she took a medical terminology class. That
class changed the trajectory of her future career.
“It really helped
me make my decision on what I wanted to do for a career,” she said. “After
taking the class, I wanted to continue to learn about things in the medical
industry and possibly take part in it someday.”
Since she wanted to get a jump start on her
college career, Zierott decided to take some SENCAP/Dual Credit classes that
were prerequisites to get into nursing school, including college algebra,
psychology and public speaking. She also became a certified nursing assistant
through SCC.
Elmwood-Murdock counselor Heather Bornemeier
can’t encourage students enough to take dual-credit classes. In addition to
helping them explore various courses, it’s a huge cost-saving factor to
students and their families.
“As a high school counselor,
it is nice to be able to help high school students learn to navigate the
college process while still receiving a high school education,” Bornemeier
said. “I have had many graduates follow up with me after their first or second
semester of college and share that they were ahead of where they needed to be
in their programs of study, thanks to having the opportunity to take dual-credit
courses in high school.”
Zierott has participated in many high school
sports, student council and the Future Business Leaders of America. She
competed in the 2021 and 2022 State High School Basketball Tournaments, State
Track and Field and the 2022 State Leadership Conference for FBLA. She
encourages others to start their path to college early.
“SCC courses are
a great way to get prerequisites out of the way before entering a four-year
college,” Zierott said. “Not only do you get those things out of it, but you
can also make great connections with your classmates and professors.”
“Ella is an excellent student
who is constantly striving for success,” Bornemeier added. “She is a very
determined young lady who works hard to achieve success both in her academics
but also in the various activities in which she participates.”
Zierott is looking forward to her next
adventure, which is attending the University of Kansas in Lawrence this fall.