I made the NEWSPAPER!!!

Double degrees for some Copper Hills High students
By Nichole Coombs
2 days ago
These seven students were among those graduating from Copper Hills High School with two-year degrees from Salt Lake Community College.
Getting a high school diploma is not enough for some students at Copper Hills High School. This year, 17 students graduated from Salt Lake Community College four weeks before graduating high school. Some of them received the New Century Scholarship which will pay 70 percent of their college tuition for the next two years.
"It's not easy but worth it," Elyssa Jeffries said. She is headed to the University of Utah to earn a business degree. "I gave up every summer for three years. It doesn't kill your social life but it definitely makes it harder."
Students who participate in the SLCC concurrent enrollment program start when they are sophomores. Counselors at the college help guide students so they take the classes they need to complete the requirements for college credit. The majority of the classes are taught at local high schools but a few are not, like physical education. Students are required to take those classes in the summer on their own time.
"It takes some coordinating but between my A.P. classes and college credit classes I ended up with everything I needed to get both degrees without feeling too stressed," said Thomas Acton, who will start at BYU in the fall as a junior.
Associate degrees usually cost students thousands of dollars in tuition, books and fees. High school students pay less than $40 to enroll in the program, buy their own books but do not pay regular tuition which cuts the cost of an associate degree to about $1,000.
"I really learned a lot about myself," Lauren Morris said. "I found new things I liked in the art field. I got so much better and found I could be better at it."
The New Century scholarship is funded by the state legislature and encourages students to get their four year degrees by earning an associate degree while earning their high school diploma at the same. The scholarship can be used at any of the public colleges or universities in Utah as well as BYU, LDS Business College and Westminster College.
Graduation at SLCC was a family event for Kelsey Carter.
"I walked with three cousins and an aunt who all earned their degrees," she said. "It's amazing when you consider we are all in different places in our lives but all achieved our degrees."
Kelsey not only received her associate degree and the New Century scholarship but worked to get her surgical technician certificate while still in high school. In the coming weeks, she'll complete her clinical hours and in December take the certification test.
"It's a great feeling to know I've got an amazing career ahead of me and I'll start it in just a few months, not a few years," Kelsey said.
Other students who earned the associate degree are Angelica Bustillos, Anthony Caccavella, Lindsay Cluff, Megan Driggs, Austin Edwards, Tiffany Garcia, Victoria Gray, Brad Helquist, Sean Klindt, Aubree Marsden, Lauren Morris, Jordan Pistorius, Cecelia Warner and Tiffany White.