Running Start

Profiles

Will and Ben Mish
Running Start, transfer degrees

"I was ready to go out in the real world. Running Start gave me the opportunity to finish high school and start college."

Will, the band's guitarist, took transfer classes at the college before going on to Western Washington University to study anthropology. Ben, the lead singer, began at the college in Running Start while attending Seattle Prep and then went on to earn an economics degree from the Univeristy of Washington.

Katie Beers
Running Start

“I’ll attend Seattle Pacific University. I’m interested in bioengineering.”

After graduating high school this spring, she plans to attend Seattle Pacific University where she’s interesting in studying bioengineering, a field she learned more about after job shadowing an engineer at a biotechnology firm. Beers said she’s prepared to go for her math and science studies after attending Edmonds Community College. But actually, one of her favorite classes at Edmonds CC was history. “I took Advanced Placement history in high school but I really did not like it and found it overwhelming. At Edmonds CC, I took a history class as a requirement and I was really surprised how much I liked it,” she said. “It was still hard, but the instructor did an awesome job of tying lectures together with what the book was teaching and made it interesting and more applicable to the present day.” Beers recommends Running Start but cautions that it is not right for everyone, “If you are looking for more of a challenge, go for it, but you do miss out on some of the social happenings at high school.”

Kayla Juzon
Running Start

“I want to go to medical school and be a family practitioner.”

“The instructors seem to really enjoy what they do and I’ve enjoyed school more because of it,” said Kayla Juzon of her experience in Running Start at Edmonds Community College. Even her least favorite subject, English, is palatable. “It’s an environment more focused on education, a good start to get in the real world,” she said. “It’s a big transition from high school to college and Running Start gives you an idea what it will be like.” Juzon, a junior at Meadowdale High School, is taking English and math classes at the college while she completes her high school diploma. After finishing high school she plans to attend the University of Washington. “I’m trying to challenge myself, increase my potential,” she said. “And this is one of the best learning experiences I could have.”

Brayden Olson
Running Start, Associate of Arts

“Edmonds CC is where I got my foundation.”

This spring at Seattle University’s annual business plan competition, Brayden Olson will present Novel Conception LLC, a maker of MMORPGs(massively multiplayer online role playing games: think Blizzard’s World of Warcraft or Turbine’s Asheron’s Call). Olson hopes his business will do well in the competition, but Novel Conception is also his post-graduation plan. “For me, this is a crash course in real world business practices and expectations,” Olson said. He expects to devote a good share of his senior year to launching Novel Conception. The first step: securing $5 million from investors for development of the company’s first product. Olson’s first inkling of Novel Conception started at Edmonds Community College. He attended as a Running Start student his junior and senior years in high school and completed his Associate of Arts degree in summer 2006. “I knew the college environment would be interactive, challenging and focused on career development and that’s what I wanted,” he said. While at Edmonds CC, he considered studying computer science or economic but, in the back of his mind, he had the idea for a game company. He took accounting, speech, economics and calculus classes but decided his real aptitude, and the best fit for his personality, was business. He went on to the Business Management program at Seattle University. “The preparation I got at Edmonds Community College, let me shine academically when I got to a private university,” he said. In the future, Olson can see himself continuing on to earn a Masters of Business Administration at an Ivy League school, but now his focus is Novel Conception. He’s developing his business plan, seeking mentors in the business community, meeting potential investors and conceptualizing the company’s flagship game. “There is no career I would rather pursue,” Olson said. “I’m thankful I have the chance to do this now.”

Chris Yocum
Running Start, Associate of Arts

“My dream job would be at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies the most respected institute in Celtic Studies today.”

Today, having completed his Master of Science (Celtic Studies) by Research degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he’s working towards his doctorate there and will soon be lecturing the School of Scottish Studies on the use of computers for academics. Yocum holds his experience at Edmonds CC in high esteem. Computer programming classes gave him perspective that assist his academic research today and he counts the quality, caring instructors he met here among his greatest academic influences. “(At Edmonds) I learned that there was an engaging world of knowledge out there in the wide world. Knowledge was actively taught and discussed along with the more practical aspects of learning.” However, Yocum did not choose Edmonds CC for its quality. He chose it because of its bus line. He first came to the college as a Running Start student and a bus went directly from his high school to the college. Because Yocum could not afford a car until six months after he graduated from Seattle University with a history degree, Community Transit kept him linked to Edmonds. “Ease of access was essential to my decision,” he said. But as a result, “It put me in contact with many interesting people who broadened my horizons both intellectually and socially. It also was a great transition stage between high school and university especially for those who are not sure what they want to do after school.” At the time, he wanted to be a mathematician. While he explored his academic interests, Yocum was able to support himself using his computer skills. Then found his calling. He read a book called "Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200" by Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, became interested in editing and translating Early Irish texts and made a connection with a professor at the University of Edinburgh. Exploring the wealth of untapped information available in Celtic Studies could lead to new discoveries.

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