Quincy Stewart recognized as Western’s Dual Student of the Year

Western Wyoming Community College’s (Western) Outreach Department is excited to announce their Dual Student of the Year 2021-2022, Black Butte High School senior, Quincy Stewart. Stewart is graduating from high school with 60 college credits from Western and 12 credits from a previous institution. In addition to graduating from high school, she will be graduating from Western with her Associate of Science Multidisciplinary Studies Degree.

“It is an honor when we can celebrate the accomplishments of an outstanding student. Ms. Quincy has completed 60 credit hours, jump-starting her college education by earning an associate degree while still at Black Butte High School. This was possible through our strong partnerships with Sweetwater BOCES and Sweetwater County School District #1.” said Dr. Kim Dale, President of Western Wyoming Community College. “Her accomplishments this early in her educational journey is a great example of how successful she will become,” Dale stated.

Stewart began as a dual student at Western her freshman year of high school. During her time as a dual student at Western, she has conducted research with Western faculty, Dr. David Tanner regarding the genome of the dune specialist bee from the Killpecker Sand Dunes. This research, funded by Idea Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), is helping to map the genome of the dune specialist bee from the Killpecker Sand Dunes.

Stewart will begin her first year of traditional college with an associate degree, research experience, and classroom knowledge to move onto the next phase in her education. When asked how she felt about walking in both her high school graduation and Western’s graduation ceremony, Stewart stated,

"So excited, this is what I have been working towards for four years. It took a lot of work but, it is paying off.”-— Quincy Stewart, Dual Student of the Year

The goal of Western's Dual and Concurrent program is to provide high school students with a head-start, and better prepare them to transition to college or the workplace after high school. Students can explore their interests prior to enrolling as a full-time college student and still have the structural support of their high schools. Sweetwater BOCES is an instrumental partner when it comes to Western’s College Now program as it pays tuition for dual students in Sweetwater County.

"Sweetwater BOCES has been proud to sponsor the Dual and Concurrent Program, in partnership with Western and both Sweetwater County school districts, since its inception. Our goal has been to provide the exact opportunities for students that Ms. Stewart has been able to access with such great success.  We at Sweetwater BOCES are extremely proud of her and all that she has accomplished; she is without question the epitome of a motivated and excellent student taking advantage of the amazing educational opportunities Sweetwater BOCES, along with our partner educational institutions, have been able to provide for Sweetwater County students,” stated Sweetwater BOCES Director, Dr. Bernadine Craft. “We wish Ms. Stewart well and know she will continue to achieve her educational goals with the same level of excellence she has achieved at this point in her career, congratulations, Quincy!”, said Craft.

After graduation Stewart plans to continue her education and start her university journey to become a heart surgeon.

To learn more about the Dual and Concurrent opportunities at Western, visit: westernwyoming.edu/collegenow. For more information, please contact Senior Outreach Coordinator, Alex Schumacher at aschumacher@westernwyoming.edu