From high school to vet school: Dual credit opportunity, MCTC integral part of student’s journey

Published on Mar 6, 2024

by Megan Smedley

Maysville Community & Technical College student Delaney Bradford is passionate about her education. 

During her high school career at Augusta Independent, Bradford took advantage of the opportunity to enroll in dual credit classes through MCTC, a choice available to many high school students in the region. 

Dual credit courses allow students to earn college credit by taking one or more college-level courses while they are still in high school. Students can earn both high school and college credit for each dual credit course they take.

MCTC currently partners with fourteen area school districts to offer dual credit courses. 

Upon graduating high school last May, Bradford enrolled full-time at MCTC. She is set to graduate at the end of this semester. 

“Delaney has achieved a remarkable accomplishment with completing her associate in science (AS) at Maysville Community and Technical College,” said Alisha Plummer, Director of Enrollment Management – Dual Credit. “Delaney’s success really highlights the benefit of our Dual Credit program. I commend Delaney on her hard work and commitment to higher education.” 

Bradford said being enrolled as an MCTC student in high school allowed for a seamless transition to college.

“Due to my experience with dual credit classes I had already gotten a feel for what the environment at MCTC would be like. Going from one small school to another definitely helped ease the transition from high school to college,” she said.

She added that MCTC's affordability, academic excellence, and proximity to home made it the ideal choice for her.

Upon completing her associate degree, Bradford will transfer to Morehead State University, where she will begin her studies to become a vet. She says once she earns her degree in veterinary medicine, she plans to return to her hometown.

“One thing that I'm certain of is that I would like to give back to my community through my career,” she said. “Ideally, if I end up in mixed practice, I would like to open my own clinic. That way I can try my best to keep animal healthcare as affordable and accessible as possible for the people in this area, while maintaining the highest quality veterinary care I can offer.”

Bradford was recently awarded the Transfer Spotlight Scholarship from MSU, a one-time $2500 scholarship for new transfers, which can be stacked with other scholarships, including the Kentucky Transfer Scholarship.

“I could say thank you a million times and it still wouldn't be enough to express how thankful I am to be receiving this scholarship,” she said. “It means the world to me to know that I have people within my community who believe in me, who are willing to stand behind me and support me as I continue my education.”

She added, “Studying an in-depth science is by no means easy, so every little bit is a huge help and a massive weight off my shoulders to know that I don't have to worry as much about how I will afford to go to school, and that I have been given the chance to focus more on working hard towards my education.”

Katie Gilbert, a recruiter at MCTC, was able to gift the scholarship to Bradford, and said that she has a bright future ahead of her.

“This scholarship is just a reflection of Delaney’s hard work and dedication over the time she has spent here at MCTC as a dual credit and matriculated student. The way things aligned with this opportunity…you can just see how this scholarship was meant to be for her,” said Gilbert. “I hope this will help lessen her burdens as a student and help encourage her to finish her degree. Success stories of students like her from our local communities need to be celebrated and acknowledged more often, to help show the next generation that there are so many options out there for them.”

For more information about Dual Credit offerings, email Alisha Plummer.