This is Melissa Eugene, a Senior at Santaluces and one of our very own members of The Tribe. A dedicated student, Melissa is a part of the Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society. She is dedicated to her education and takes it very serious.
The summer going into Sophomore year, Melissa began taking Dual Enrollment classes to boost her GPA and to challenge herself academically. After completing her first semester of Dual Enrollment, she continued in the program to earn 25 college credits by the end of her Junior year.
When asked about the difficulty, Melissa said, “Dual Enrollment is not hard at all. However, the workload will pile up on you if you don’t stay on top of your game. Procrastination was my biggest challenge, and unfortunately, it got the best of me, so I really do recommend that if you take Dual Enrollment classes, don’t take more than one class if you think that you will not be able to handle the deadlines and the workload.”
She also added that “college is not like high school. The professors treat you like adults no matter what age you are because it is imperative to keep in mind that you are in college and they’re not there to babysit you. Also, a lot of professors are strict on deadlines, so like I said before, make sure to complete the work on time.”
Melissa believes that overall Dual Enrollment was a good learning experience since she got to see what she can and can’t handle academically. She also learned never to take college lightly because it is something that can have a grave impact on her future.
Aside from that, Melissa mentioned her future plan to attend PBSC during the summer to finish her few remaining credits for her associate degree. After obtaining her AA degree, she intends to transfer to FAU or FAMU to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Melissa also has ambitions to become a real estate agent once she graduates from high school. She said she’ll start attending real estate classes soon so that when she turns 18, she’ll be able to take the exam and hopefully pass the first try. Melissa acknowledges that the real estate industry has become oversaturated, but she refuses to let this stop her from pursuing a career in real estate.
Melissa’s advice to underclassmen is to enjoy your high school years while you can. “When people said that high school goes by fast, I didn’t believe it, but now, as a Senior, I can truly say that it does go by pretty fast. It feels like yesterday I was just at home learning off a computer screen as a Freshman, and now I’m a Senior getting ready to graduate.”
In addition, Melissa strongly encourages prioritizing your mental health during school since it can take a serious toll on you if you don’t: “Put your mental health before anything.”
