A Woodland Joint Unified School District student earned two diplomas this year: one from high school and another from college.

Mohini Sharma, a Pioneer High School senior who is receiving her high school diploma on June 8, already received her associate’s degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Woodland Community College last month.

Sharma participated in the Dual Enrollment program, which allows high school students to earn credit in college classes that their high school also counts towards graduation.

“Altogether, it took me four years to earn my associate’s degree,” Sharma said. “I took my very first classes at Woodland Community College the summer after 8th grade and finished my last class there on May 23, 2023. The very first class I took was an introduction to psychology course.”

In total, Sharma took about 20 courses and completed 60 units of classes, including calculus, biology, chemistry, and statistics.

With a full workload as a dual student, an ASB officer, an athlete, and a community volunteer, Sharma had many challenges to overcome and learned to persevere through adversity.“It was very difficult,” recalled Sharma. “At first, I struggled with getting into classes that didn’t interfere with my high school classes. Eventually, I learned how to work around that, but it took a lot of my time and energy to maintain my grades on both ends. There were many days in which I left my home at 6 a.m. to go to high school, followed by tennis, college, and work, returning at 10 p.m. with homework to do.”

Despite the challenging workload, Sharma expressed that she also enjoyed the experience.

“Some of the things I liked best about being involved within WCC’s dual enrollment program was the freedom it gave me,” she said. “As I stepped onto campus, everyone there treated me like I belonged and uplifted me at any given time. I got the experience of picking my own schedule, creating study groups, and getting an education that truly challenged me.”

Sharma now plans to attend UC Davis to pursue a bachelor’s in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior with the long-term goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon.

She shared advice for students interested in the dual enrollment program.

“My advice to students who want to follow in my footsteps is that it will be one of the most difficult things you have done so far, so embrace yourself,” she said.

“Not only on an educational level but also on a logistical level. College classes aren’t designed for high school students so accommodating them to your schedule and thriving within the classes is going to be a challenge. If you choose to take this route, giving up is not an option. As long as you allow giving up to be an option, it will pull at you. As hard as it pulls, you can pull much harder.”

“Beyond that, my advice to everyone is to have your support systems,” she added. “Most nights are going to be difficult when pursuing such high dreams with difficult odds. However, every night is a little bit easier with your friends and family by your side. Personally, I want to thank my family, Ms. Farias, Kacy Wilson, Ms. Nichols, Principal Sandra Reese and most importantly, my mom and dad, for being my most loyal supporters.”

Now that she earned two diplomas, Sharma plans on recognizing this special occasion after many years of hard work.

“I plan to celebrate my graduations with my family and friends by gathering together for dinner, music, and cake to commemorate a moment that we all have waited for!” she said.