Rachel Klammer received her high school diploma only a few weeks ago. But she has already walked at the graduation ceremony for her bachelor’s degree.
MLive’s Bob Johnson reports that Klammer started taking college classes at age 14 through the Paris Academy of Co-Secondary Education (PACE). The classes are offered through the Academic and Career Education Academy, a public charter school in Midland, Mich. The academy uses the state government’s per-pupil education spending to cover college and high school costs, so Klammer has been taking her PACE classes tuition-free.
Only one of the PACE classes was online. The others were at nearby Delta College or Saginaw Valley State University, where Klammer will get her degree.
“I didn’t think I was intellectually challenged in middle school, so I thought I was wasting my time,” Klammer told MLive. “My mom said ‘Hey, how about this?’ and I said I would give it a try.”
Klammer’s sister, Sarah, accomplished the same feat last year. “I don’t think that what we have done was so amazing,” Klammer said. “Other people are going to do it, it’s just that other people did not have the same opportunity.”
Technically, Klammer still has to finish one class this summer before she earns her degree. But she’s already been accepted into a fully-funded master’s program at Central Michigan University.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
