Eric Chodur of Altoona graduated this past May with an Associates in Arts degree from DMACC, weeks before he graduated from Southeast Polk High School.
It’s an amazing accomplishment, however, he’s not even the first in his family to do it. He followed in his brother’s footsteps.
Ethan Chodur did the same in 2023. They are part of a growing number of high school students who are taking college courses through DMACC’s Career Advantage program.
Eric Chodur completed the 64 college credits to earn the degree.
“It was quite the challenge to receive the degree, and did require plenty of discipline and hard work, as well as plenty of planning in order to make sure I was able to meet all of DMACC's requirements to graduate,” said Chodur.
During his sophomore year of high school, Chodur met with DMACC Career Advantage Academic Advisor Amanda Magie and together they meticulously planned how Chodur would be able to get his diploma from DMACC, trying different course combinations in order to figure out what would allow him to "get over the finish line" by his high school graduation.
“This plan required me to take many challenging courses, much more difficult than the average course offered at Southeast Polk High School,” Chodur said.
He did this through various AP (advanced placement) courses, and dual-credit courses, which are in-house classes at Southeast Polk that provide both high school and DMACC credit.
Chodur will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall, studying mathematics and actuarial science.
“I feel like spending the extra time and stress in high school to receive my Associates degree has been extremely beneficial for me, as it has helped to prepare me for college courses and a college workload, while still in high school,” said Chodur. “Having the ability to learn and adjust to the more difficult nature of college has allowed me to feel more prepared and less anxious about attending university this fall. It's quite incredible the opportunity which Southeast Polk, DMACC, and the State of Iowa provide for high school students, allowing us to save thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars.”
Eric Chodur, 2025.
Adonawit Meshesha of Grimes is another high school student who graduated with an AA degree from DMACC before she walked across the stage to receive her diploma from Johnston High School. She was also named to DMACC’s Career Advantage Dean’s list numerous times.
Meshesha said most of her 64 college credits were through dual-enrollment classes at Johnston High School and seven courses directly from DMACC.
“I also learned that DMACC professors are super strict about deadlines,” said Meshesha. Having a hard deadline pushed me to feel confident in managing all my assignments by planning ahead and making use of all my time.”
She said this whole experience taught her that you don’t need to be “perfect” at all to achieve a goal that initially seems daunting.
“I discovered that by breaking the goal down into small manageable tasks and surrounding yourself with people that actually want the best for you, what once felt impossible becomes so seamlessly incorporated into your life.”
Meshesha said she will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall to study Biochemistry & Molecular Biology on a pre-med/pre-doctoral track.
DMACC’s Magie said the overwhelming majority of high school students taking college credit coursework indicate saving time and money as their primary goal. When meeting with students, there is an overtone of concern about how they will fund their college experience.
“I will often hear students talk about the increased reading and writing expectations in college level coursework,” Magie said. “By taking both high school and college credit coursework at the same time, they are able to develop time management, study skills, etc. prior to having a full college credit schedule.”
Magie said the advising process is unique to each student.
“There are a variety of factors that are discussed to determine if DMACC credit coursework is the right fit for the student and to determine how many credits the student should complete each semester,” Magie said. “Some of these include the student's academic history, time available in their high school schedule, commitments outside of school, such as extra-curriculars and work and the student's goals after graduation.”
Chodur and Meshesha are two of 137 students to earn an Associates degree from DMACC in 2025 while in high school. That is up 31 students from the previous year. Every year, more high school students are taking college classes at DMACC. In fact, last year, 19,259 high school students completed DMACC coursework.
DMACC Career Advantage and Enrollment Services Director Michael Lentsch said the Career Advantage team works very hard to make sure high school students, counselors and parents participating in this program understand everything they need to be successful.
“We stress the importance of things like orientations, communications, college calendars, college resources available, one-on-one advising options, course selection, and course prerequisites,” said Lentsch. “There is a lot to manage for a student to take a DMACC course and be successful. We try to make it as easy and streamlined as possible.”
Lentsch said he feels that students are beginning to understand that the opportunity to obtain college credit in high school also comes with responsibility to be more intentional and dedicated to be successful in these courses.
“These courses are part of their permanent academic record and they are understanding the long-term benefit of doing well in these courses,” said Lentsch who also predicts that more high school students will be enrolling in DMACC’s Career Advantage program in 2026.
|
Spring |
Presidents’ List |
Dean’s List |
Total |
|
2022 |
1599 |
1800 |
3399 |
|
2023 |
1942 |
1981 |
3923 |
|
2024 |
2139 |
2299 |
4438 |
|
2025 |
2354 |
2494 |
4848 |
Indeed, DMACC high school students are doing well in these courses. A total of 4,848 DMACC Career Advantage students were named to either the President’s List or Dean’s List following the spring semester. That’s a 9.2 percent increase over the number of students who earned that accolade last spring and a 43 percent hike over the 3,399 students who made the President’s or Dean’s List in the spring of 2022.
To be named to the President’s List, a student must have completed a minimum of six credits and earned a 4.0 grade point average for that semester. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must have completed a minimum of six credits and earned a 3.5 to 3.99 grade point average for that semester.
Recent Carroll Senior High School graduate Kylie Janning has taken a total of six DMACC classes through the Career Advantage program. She was also among the 2,354 students who were named to the President’s list in the spring semester, a feat she also accomplished in the fall 2024 semester.
Kylie Janning, 2025.
“It takes discipline to be able to successfully complete college-level courses while in high school,” said Janning, who plans to study Business Administration at the DMACC Carroll Campus starting in the fall. “Time management is an essential skill that you learn, and creating studying habits that work for you is crucial. I am truly grateful that I was able to take these Career Advantage college classes, not only for all that I learned, but also because I was able to save thousands of dollars.”
DMACC’s Career Advantage is a National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) accredited program that offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.