Joe:
Liz Kroboth is a perfect example of Alternative Paths to College. She was a homeschooled student who took almost two full years of college courses while she was in high school through the CPCC Concurrent Enrollment Program in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not only was Liz a student at the college, she got involved with student government in a big way.

Liz:
Originally, my two older siblings enrolled in the program because they wanted to continue some of their high school education outside the home, but were dissatisfied with public high school offerings. They were both able to accumulate a large number of college-transferable credits and because of this, my brother graduated from Georgia Tech at the age of 20, and my sister will graduate just a few months after her 21st birthday. My parents were so pleased with the idea that their children could get so ahead of the game and receive high-quality instruction at the same time, that as soon as I turned 16 (the minimum age for the program), there was no question where I would be going for the next two and a half years.

Joe:
As a high school student taking courses alongside regular college student, how was your experience unique and interesting?

Liz:
I see going to CPCC as one of the major landmarks in my life. First of all, it allowed me for the first time to interact on a daily basis with a diverse group of people; people in their 20's, 40's, sometimes even 60's, people from many social and economic backgrounds, people from all over the world, and people with different value systems.

In spite of the fact that I was much younger than most CPCC students, I met many highly motivated and unique people, including a few close friends and my boyfriend. In addition, by attending CPCC, I had the opportunity to be in a classroom environment, and I learned many skills which would became important when I moved on to the university, such as managing a course load, interacting with teachers, and how to write two papers, study three chapters and do a project all in one weekend: one word--coffee.

Joe:
Not only did you just attend classes, you thought it would be a good idea to be part of student government and in fact became president of the student body for 2000-2001. How did you manage to do that?

Liz:
When my sister went to CPCC, she was involved in Student Government, and I thought it sounded like a fun thing to do, so I stopped by the office and spoke with one of the advisors. He invited me to join a brainstorming session, and I accepted. Afterwards, I began to attend the meetings regularly, and little by little, my responsibilities continued to grow. Then after about a year and a half of taking courses at CPCC, I met the current President, and I realized, "Hey, he seems like a down-to-earth, average guy; if he can do it, why can't I?" So, after talking with some family members and friends, I decided to run for the office. Who would have guessed that just going to a casual brainstorming session would one day result in becoming President of the organization!

Joe:
What is your major is now and what you plan to be doing for the future?

Liz:
I am undecided at the moment, but I am very interested in Psychology, and I think I may ultimately become a counselor. The great thing is, while I was at CPCC, I completed almost a full two years worth of college credits, so now I have a lot of flexibility to take any courses I want and explore my options without putting me behind schedule.