WYE MILLS – Yasmeen Johnson, a Caroline County native and Class of 2018 graduate of North Caroline High School, was named Chesapeake College  Outstanding Dual Enrollment Student of the Year.

She holds a 4.0 grade point average at Chesapeake and earned 36 college credits while attending high school. In addition, Ms. Johnson was named to the Dean’s List.

A Ridgely resident, she began Dual Enrollment to explore her early career choice – journalism.   In addition to English and journalism classes, Ms. Johnson enrolled in business and communications courses at Chesapeake. She’s now interested in marketing and public relations, and plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in communications.

“I really enjoyed the freedom I had in my Dual Enrollment classes,” Ms. Johnson said. “When instructors assigned papers and projects, the students got to choose their own topics. Whatever themes we wanted to explore, our instructors would encourage us.”

The Outstanding Dual Enrollment Student Award requirements include a high school counselor recommendation, a minimum GPA of 3.5, a minimum of three semesters of coursework and notable extracurricular activities.

“I came in to Dual Enrollment nervous and concerned that it might be too much. There were definitely some stressful times, but it was manageable,” Ms. Johnson said. “Chesapeake provides lots of support, so I never felt like I had to manage alone.”

The Tutoring Center, Ms. Johnson said, provided help when needed, while her instructors were approachable and helpful.

“All of my instructors wanted us to do well. They made the classes fun and interesting. It’s a different environment than high school and I really enjoyed the independence,” Ms. Johnson said. “I loved communications and look forward to taking more of those classes in the future.”

Statistics, Ms. Johnson said, was one of the more challenging courses at Chesapeake.

“It was stressful, but I managed to get an A,” she added.

In high school, Johnson participated in track and field, Future Business Leaders of America, student government and National Honor Society.

This fall, she will attend Acadia University (Pa.) and major in communications. All 36 of her Dual Enrollment credits transferred, so she is entering the four-year university with three semesters of coursework completed.

“I feel like I’m going in with a head start. I’m really happy to have all of these credits, and this will allow to get into my major courses sooner and take advantage of all the opportunities. I’ll be able to do a semester in London next year because I’m so far ahead,” Johnson said. “All the hard work was worth it.”

Chesapeake’s Dual Enrollment program is open to high school students who are 16 years old with a minimum 2.5 Grade Point Average and a guidance counselor’s recommendation.

For more information about Chesapeake’s Dual Enrollment program, visit www.chesapeake.edu.