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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.