Pushing the limits: She believed she could, so she did

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by BRITTANY HALL

Many 18-year-olds invest a lot of time into thinking about the type of life they want before they graduate. As senior year flips its pages to a close, there’s always that combination of excitement and fear about the future. Where will I go from here? How will I get there? But honor graduate Melani Purcell doesn’t doubt or question herself, instead she works hard to achieve the life that she wants, and her steadfast, resolute nature has provided her with an early lifetime of success. Such success includes the attainment of her associate's degree that she received just one week shy of her graduation from Swainsboro High School. “I graduated as an honor graduate from East Georgia State College with Magna Cum Laude,” Melani said with a sweet and confident smile. To receive this distinction, you must attain a 3.4 GPA or higher and rank in the 85th percentile of the entire graduating class. An incredible distinction all on its own, but what makes this title even more remarkable for Melani is the fact that she secured a high-achievement award from college while studying as a high school student. “At the conclusion of my freshman year I decided that I wanted to get an associate degree from East Georgia State College before I graduated from Swainsboro High School. So, in the fall of 2019, when I began my sophomore year, I also began my college career at East Georgia. I was just 15 years old.” This accomplishment, that some may deem impossible, is a decision that Melani made with certainty and ease. Her commitment to this choice has completely revitalized her future by providing her with the opportunity to study advanced material early on and gaining new skills like the ability to balance college-level studies with her social and family life as well as the rigor of tackling two major graduations at once.

“I am very happy with my decision to take college classes while in high school because it helped me to mature academically, and I think I am better prepared to go off to a four-year university and be successful because of this.”

On May 13, Melani received her associate’s degree from East Georgia State College, and six days later, she took her final steps across Tiger Field to receive her high school diploma, proving that when you set your mind on a goal you can achieve it no matter where you’re at in life, and if you join the easy crowd, you’ll never grow. “Juggling high school and college along with athletics was difficult, but I learned how to manage my time very early on to be successful. In high school, sometimes you get a second chance, but in college as a dual enrollment student the expectations are the same as a traditional college student. Oftentimes there are no second chances. I also had to give up my sophomore year and junior year summer break to take enough classes to accomplish this goal. Throughout this journey I had to make many sacrifices, but it was well worth it in the end.”

Melani plans to attend Georgia Southern University in the fall with her next goal already in sight; a master’s degree in business and marketing. While one begs to question, ‘how?’ the simple answer is determination and a devoted support system. “I am honored that I was given the opportunity and support from the faculty at East Georgia State College as well as the support from my family and friends, especially my parents, Todd and Mandi Purcell. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish such an amazing achievement.” Today, Melani is a high school and college honor graduate. Her advice for other up and coming graduates is to not waste time and to always put your education first! “I highly encourage high school students to become dual enrollment students because it gives you an opportunity to get ahead and to experience college with support at home before you go off to college.”

Melani is poised to continue to pursue an even bigger piece of her education and eventually the corporate world in the coming years. “In ten years’, time, I see myself as a successful businesswoman in marketing and sales,” Melani predicts. While we all have a visual of what it takes to be a boss, Melani is the admirable definition of one. Never ceasing, always succeeding and proof that the best thing you can ever do is to believe in yourself.