As junior Ella Richardson looks forward to May 24, the end of her junior year, she reflects on the challenges she faced throughout the year.

“Some advice I have is to make sure you stay on top of all your work and keep a list of everything you have to do because it’s really easy to lose track and fall behind,” Richardson said. 

Richardson said she personally struggled with this.

“If I had an assignment I didn’t know how to do, then I would get frustrated and put it off, and my grades would drop,” she said. “Another piece of advice is to ask your teachers for help with what you need and go to their office hours.” 

Junior Jenna Pechart said dual enrollment helped her prepare for her future career.

“I am majoring in biomedicine at Eastern Florida to pursue a future in dentistry,” Pechart said. “I am benefited by learning the basics of what will go in my future field of study, and I am interested in it because I have the motivation to move forward in that direction of future possibilities.” 

Pechart sought out peers and support systems, which she said she has found helpful.

“I talk to people in the field I want to go to as well as teachers in order to get a feel for it, if I truly believe it is right for me,” she said. “For peers, I know many people that have been in my spot, [which allows] me to ask questions about professors, college visits and opinions pertaining to our mutual education.” 

Pechart said having a plan for the future is beneficial. 

“Try to get a grasp on what you want your next couple years as well as your years in college to look like and figure out what it takes to get there,” she said. “Research and understanding your source of motivation are key in the next few years. If you know what you are working for, it becomes easier to work for it.”

By Belen Castillo