Dual Enrollment Program Preparing Strom Thurmond Student for Future

Gracie Herrin has big plans for her future. And she’s taking the steps now to prepare her for success.

The rising senior at Strom Thurmond High School plans to head to Clemson University when she graduates next spring. Her goal is to complete her bachelor’s degree in agribusiness in just three years. To accomplish that, Herrin has filled her final two years of high school with dual enrollment classes through Piedmont Technical College.

“I plan on graduating college early, and these classes will allow me to do that by completing most of my freshmen classes here,” Herrin said.

Herrin has already completed 19 hours and is enrolled to complete 12 more for next year. She also has three more classes she plans to take before the end of the year. And she is not taking just general education courses. Her classes include horticulture, applied agriculture calculations and accounting.

“My friends are surprised by how many classes I’ve taken and how many I’m planning to take next year,” Herrin said. “But, they understand my goal to finish Clemson early.”

Agriculture was not something Herrin always planned to do, but it turned out to be her calling. She got involved with the FFA at Strom Thurmond because of her brother. She is now president of the FFA, she is a member of the CTC Sporting Clays shooting team and she works as an intern with Titan Farms.

“I like the hands-on ‘dirty’ work, but I also like numbers,” she said. “I decided agribusiness would be the best of both worlds.”

Herrin said she believes taking the dual enrollment classes has given her an advantage for when she enrolls at Clemson, both preparing her for the college courses and helping her be financially prepared.

“I feel like the dual enrollment classes let you experience what college is like before you get there, so it’s not a shock to you,” she said. “And with Lottery Tuition Assistance, it saves us a lot of money to take them now instead of waiting until I get to Clemson.”

For more information, contact the Dual Enrollment Office at (864) 941-8352 or go to www.ptc.edu/dualenrollment.