As a student at Southern High
School in Wymore, Natalie Trauernicht has always been an over-achiever. She’s
vice president of the Student Council and the Future Business Leaders of America,
band president, three-time president of the FFA and highly involved in the
local agricultural community. It was no surprise to anyone that she chose to
enroll in dual-credit classes as well, as part of the Southeast Nebraska Career
Academy Partnership.
“Through SENCAP I was allowed to take classes
that were a little more career-oriented and kind of testing the water and see
what I like,” she explained. “By my junior year, I was taking two college
classes a semester, and I decided to take an ag class with some push from my
counselor and FFA advisor. That was the best choice I ever made, and I fell in
love all over again with the ag program.”
“SCC’s SENCAP/Dual Credit classes are a great
opportunity for students to get a jump start on their college careers at a
reduced cost,” said Southern Junior and Senior Principal Jeff Murphy. “Students
have the opportunity to take courses in an area they plan to major in or if
they are not sure of a major, they can take courses toward their general
education degree.”
That’s exactly what Trauernicht did. Between
SENCAP and taking some math courses at Peru State College, she will have 36
credit hours when she graduates high school, which is equivalent to a full year
of college.
"Natalie goes above and beyond the minimum expectations,” said
Adam Niederklein, Dual Credit Coordinator at SCC. “She’s driven and has taken
advantage of SCC’s SENCAP/Dual Credit programs.”
“When Natalie graduates from high school in May,
she will be well on her way to earning that college degree,” Murphy added. “We
are very proud of Natalie and what she has accomplished."
As a result, Trauernicht plans to study
Agribusiness at Southeast Community College’s Beatrice Campus this fall. She will
then transfer to a four-year university, but not exactly sure which career path
she will follow.
“I am currently trying to decide exactly what
my career path is, but all I know is that I have found a great love for
agriculture and sales of any kind,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed business,
too, and hope to put that into use in my future career.”
SENCAP is in partnership with 47 school
districts in SCC’s 15-county service area and offers numerous academies,
including Agriculture, Business, Construction, Criminal Justice, Education,
Health, Information Technology, Energy, and Welding.