Winston’s Journey to the Associate of Arts Degree Pathway

How a BHS junior who has always excelled found a challenge that pushes him further

Winston Ekstrand has always been a straight-A student who worked hard but never truly felt challenged. He was in honors programs, gifted and talented programs, and took on as much as possible, staying busy with volunteer work and activities like speech and debate.

When he started at Burnsville High School (BHS), he was intimidated by how hard people said the classes were, but he quickly thought they must have been exaggerating. That all changed after he heard about the Associate of Arts (A.A.) Degree Pathway. 

“I was a 4.0 student for the first two years of high school,” said Winston. “I don’t remember exactly how I heard about the A.A. program, but I figured that it was the most challenging program that I could take and it would look impressive on a college resume so I was the first junior to join.”

In its second year, the A.A. Degree Pathway enables students to take college-level courses and graduate from BHS with both their high school diploma and a two-year associate degree from Inver Hills Community College. Students can earn a total of 60 college credits without ever having to leave the building. Associate of Arts Degree Pathway Coordinator Becky Akerson oversees the program and works closely with students. 

“Juniors who started this year overcame a lot of barriers and shifts like mindset and discipline during the first semester and are really finding a groove,” said Akerson. “The biggest adjustment was learning how to appropriately and effectively study for exams because there’s a big learning curve in how to study beyond reviewing notes.”

The program is housed in space previously used by Burnsville Community Television, with conference rooms that are regularly filled with students studying, quizzing each other and working on white boards. The general consensus among students is that the toughest classes are African American Studies, Inver Hills Chemistry and CIS AP American History, with students relying on each other to prepare for tests and review each other's papers. 

“It’s no joke,” said Winston. “Everyone kept telling me that I won’t get all As in this, but there is value in taking challenging courses. I didn’t feel challenged enough before and now I really had to learn how to study and stay organized. I have definitely gone from a type B to a type A person.”

Inver Hills Community College: Championing Student Success Through the A.A. Degree Pathway 

The success of the A.A. Degree Pathway wouldn’t be possible without the strong partnership between BHS and Inver Hills Community College. Inver Hills was instrumental in shaping the program, collaborating closely with BHS to develop a robust and well-rounded academic experience. The K-12 Partnerships team helped expand course offerings, support yearly registration efforts, provide professors to teach courses on the BHS campus and support efforts to credential BHS teachers for concurrent enrollment courses. 

Inver Hills also provides critical academic support. Each concurrent enrollment course is paired with an Inver Hills professor mentor, ensuring alignment with college-level expectations. Students also have access to Inver Hills’ academic resources, including their academic advisors, virtual peer tutoring, virtual professional tutoring, virtual writing center support and support for study skills and general academic success. 

Preparing for the Future

Study habits are an essential part of the program. For a history test, Winston usually makes flashcards, while for a math class, he may do a full unit review and try other techniques. Group study sessions are a fixture of the program with tutoring options through Inver Hills and BHS teachers available as well. Students are taking five college classes per semester, all while maintaining the regular high school schedule. 

BHS teachers are earning credentials to teach more college-level courses and are the driving force behind the program. Teachers are showing students like Winston what to expect if they pursue a higher education. So far, 100% of the students in the program have indicated that they plan to continue their education, using their credits to get ahead in their fields of study and focusing on applications, scholarships and financial aid. 

Winston plans to attend Carleton College, where many of the credits will not transfer, but he knows that the program will have prepared him for the college experience. 

“It’s difficult but I know that it’s worth it,” said Winston. “Another student who is finishing her senior year in the program showed me it’s entirely possible to take on this challenge but that you will have to make some decisions when it comes to time management. You can do anything but you can’t do everything!”

Lessons in prioritizing and time management come naturally in the A.A. Pathway. Students are all extremely busy young people and have to decide on their priorities. For Winston, that meant less of a commitment to the debate team and for others it may be getting involved in tutoring or mentorship opportunities for extra support. 

“We are really proactive and if teachers see any struggles we meet with students and families and provide some coaching around catching up,” said Akerson. “Taking the full load of A.A. courses may not be the right fit for all students, and that’s ok. We work hard to ensure they are still accessing concurrent enrollment courses in some capacity so they are working towards credits to alleviate the financial realities a college education can have.”

A Program That’s Here to Stay

The A.A. Degree Pathway is still new, but participation far exceeded expectations in the first two years. Winston even briefly considered transferring to another district, but decided to stay not just for the incredible programming but also the passionate teachers and diverse student body. He would advise other students to do the same. 

“I am happier than I have ever been despite the coursework,” said Winston. “My advice is that it’s never as difficult as it seems because once you do something and commit to it, it is going to look easy later. It is possible but you need to be prepared for obstacles, potential failure and lots of work, but it’s worth it!”