Merced teen to earn associate’s degree before high school diploma

Angelica Navarrette will be part of the first graduating class at Merced’s new El Capitan High School, but first she’ll graduate from college.

Navarrette, 17, will earn her associate’s degree from Merced College and walk in the Blue Devils’ graduation Friday before she receives her high school diploma as a Gaucho.

She began taking college classes while she was a sophomore in high school on the advice on her father, who also attended Merced College.

“I was taking a criminology class, and the girl next to me was talking about going to prom,” Nick Navarrette said. “I asked if she was going as a chaperone, and she said it was her prom. She was a junior at Buhach (Colony High School) at the time. So I started looking into it for my daughter.”

Angelica Navarrette enrolled in college classes while in high school through Merced College’s K-12 program. She started by taking biology, a class she already had completed at El Capitan.

“I was scared at first. I was 14 years old at the time,” Angelica said. “After the first class, I got over my fear and was able to enjoy the class setting.”

This spring, more than 270 high school students took Merced College classes through the K-12 program.

By her junior year, Navarrette began going back and forth between the college and high school for classes: “My bike – that’s what got me here,” she said.

She and a fellow Gaucho, Jordan Crowley, took summer classes and studied together. Crowley also will earn his associate’s degree Friday before he graduates from El Capitan on June 2.

“A lot of people, when they find out we’re in high school, they says it’s so awesome and they wish they did that,” Crowley said. “But for me it’s just something that’s part of everyday life.”

The key to making it all work was time management and communication. Nick Navarrette often communicated with Angelica’s high school sports coaches and band instructor, who in turn were flexible about scheduling conflicts.

“I couldn’t hold her to the same standards of other teens,” Nick Navarrette said. “I didn’t expect her to do chores. I had to be flexible and have realistic expectations. I always talked and communicated with her about her schedule to make sure she wasn’t burned out. I had to give her suggestions on how to deal with the stress.”

It wasn’t until Angelica began applying to college that she realized she could finish her associate’s degree. In the fall, she’ll begin studying anthropology at UCLA – only a couple of classes away from being a college junior. After that, she has set her sights on medical school.

Angelica Navarrette’s father understands the value of education. He worked as a police officer at UC Merced, but an injury ended his career, he said. So he went back to school, starting with Merced College, where he graduated in 2012. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from UC Merced in 2014 and is doing graduate work in special education through Fresno Pacific University.

Nick Navarrette said the K-12 program is a valuable opportunity for the community, particularly because there are no fees for units. “Those are 51 units I don’t have to pay for, and obviously that’s nice,” he said. “The fact that Merced College offers that is amazing. It gives people an opportunity.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Merced teen to earn associate’s degree before high school diploma."