Junior Bobbi Potter has dreamed of becoming a pharmacist for as long as she can remember. Junior Josh Dunning has always had a passion for music and audio production. For both Bobbi and Josh, these plans are just a few years away; their plan to graduate one year early to pursue a college degree has brought them closer to their dreams, a full year ahead of schedule. Bobbi and Josh will walk down the aisle at graduation alongside the class of 2015.

Starting this fall, Bobbi will be attending Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, and plans on majoring in pre-pharmaceutical studies, while Josh will be studying International Business and Audio Production at Webster University. The decision to graduate early for both students was simple; they wanted to get a head start on their lives, and fast forwarding the typical four year high school process seemed like a good start.

“Last year, around this time, I came up with the idea,”Josh said. “I decided that I’d rather go to college sooner than sit around in high school. I’ve never really been a fan of elementary, middle or high school.”

For Josh, the first step taken in his decision to graduate early was to meet with his guidance counselor, Stephanie Johnson. Similarly for Bobbi, sophomore year was when the decision to graduate early was made. Her counselor, Rachel Faulkner, supported her idea to get a head start on college and life and helped her stay on track by mapping out the timeline of credits needed to make this happen.

“I realized after I met with my counselor that this was really happening,” Potter said. “I started looking at colleges and really focused on this long term goal.”

In order to graduate, students must obtain 24 credits during the years they attend high school. In order to reach this requirement by the end of junior year, Bobbi and Josh have both earned credits outside of school. Josh completed summer classes at FHN and also completed Brigham Young University online classes to earn 3.5 additional credits, while Bobbi transferred her 8th grade Algebra I credit, along with the three credits she earned from her online classes and a personal finance credit she earned over summer.

“A year seems short, but it is actually a long time if you’re talking about education,” Bobbi said. “I am very happy that I will start my college career one year earlier than I expected; it will open many doors of opportunities and help me get a head start in life.”

With the support of friends and family, Josh and Bobbi have both been able to stay on track with school while planning their future after high school. Bobbi’s mother and sister were both very supportive in her plans to graduate high school early and continue on to college. Josh’s main support system was his mother, who made sure he kept his grades up and didn’t fall off track.

“My mom really helped me stick to my goals,” Josh said. “She really alleviated the stress when it came to searching for a college. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Despite their senior roles, both Josh and Bobbi still sometimes feel like juniors at heart. The perks of leaving the familiar school setting for an adventurous, unexplored place a full year early does come with its downfalls. The connection that Josh feels with his junior friends and classmates is hard to replace.

“Sometimes I feel like an outsider because I don’t necessarily fit in with the junior class or the senior class,”Josh said. “It can be a hard position having the majority of my friends who aren’t in the same grade as me.”

For Bobbi, who has about the same number of friends in both the junior and senior class, breaking the news of graduating early was still somewhat of a heartbreak. Her friends were excited and supportive for her commitment of graduating early, but her junior friends were sad to be left behind.

Although having the chance to jump to an early start in life is advantageous, there is still the fear of rushing into adulthood too quickly for Bobbi and Josh.

“I will be 21 and in the working world,”Josh said. “I am really optimistic about the chance to start a serious career at a young age, but I also know that it is harder for employers and adults to trust younger people and take them seriously. It can be harder for young people to get stuff done. It definitely takes a certain level of maturity.”

Despite the possible challenges, both Bobbi and Josh are confident in the paths they have chosen. Their commitment with time and ability to stick to their goals has proved to be enough to allow them to earn their high school credits a full year before the typical student. For them, the time lost in high school means time gained to work towards their bigger goals in life.

“Bobbi and Josh have shown that they are prepared to move on with their lives and challenge themselves,” Jon Travis, their Spectra teacher, said. “I love that they are willing to push themselves and chase their dreams.”

With high school in the rearview mirror, Josh hopes to someday make his mark in the audio production world and Bobbi would like to make her long time dream of becoming a pharmacist, a reality. By getting an early start in college, both Bobbi and Josh hope that they can turn their career dreams into a reality in the future.

“When it’s all said and done, I’m happy with my decision to graduate early,” Bobbi said. “High school was fun, but I’m really excited for what the future holds for me.”