by Rachel Coleman
LIBERAL, Kan. — Seward County Community College’s Saints Ahead Scholarship paid off for more than 50 high school students last week. Commencement ceremonies at the college recognized concurrent students’ achievements, earning certificates and associate degrees at the same time the students completed their high school diplomas.
“When our Board of Trustees made a three-year commitment to offering the Saints Ahead Scholarship, the vision was to increase student engagement at the high school level,” said SCCC President Brad Bennett. “We also wanted to put early college work within reach of every high school student in our service area. It’s just incredibly exciting to see how many students have taken hold of the opportunity.”
Some of the newly-minted high school and college graduates will enroll in additional programs at SCCC, such as allied health programs or more prerequisites for upper-level transfer programs like pharmacy school, said SCCC Outreach director Laura Rosales. Others plan to transfer to Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, the University of Kansas, and four-year colleges or universities in Kansas and other states. Because concurrent enrollment offers a head start on college, Rosales noted many of the students are still sorting out what they plan to pursue in terms of careers paths.
“Getting their gen-eds finished will save them so much money at a four-year school, and gives them a running start for success, whatever they eventually decide to focus on,” she said. “It’s a lot to figure out when you’re still just 18 or 19.” That said, all 15 concurrent students from Ulysses High School earned associate degrees and many have specific plans for their next two to eight years of higher education. Two students are pre-med, one is pre-law, and several have their eyes on MBAs.
The SCCC Saints Ahead Scholarship offers unlimited class enrollment to high school students who maintain a 2.5 grade point average for their college course load. All high school students — public, private, or home-educated — residing in Seward County and in the college’s service area are eligible for the scholarship. In 2024, SCCC recognized 37 concurrent high school graduates. In 2025, that number increased to 51.
Concurrent SCCC graduates for 2025 are as follows. All degrees and certificates awarded are contingent upon students’ completion of final exams. Those who earned two-year associate degrees — 34 in all — are marked with an asterisk:
• Stanton County High School: Kadence Hudgens* and Kourtney Hudgens*
• Moscow High School: Elisha Staggers*
• Liberal High School: Elizabeth Alfaro*, Brian Gallegos, Camila Garcia*, Isabela Gutierrez*, Emilio Hernandez Garcia, Herman Hidalgo, Elizabeth Leon*, Erik Lopez*, Ivan Mejia, Lizeth Moreno Valles*, Ilse Neave*, Zaira Perez*, Joseph Salazar*, Alexa Valenzuela*, Erik Valenzuela*, Kevin Vasquez*, Kaylee Velazquez*, Brittney Zamora*, Jesus Hernandez-Pavia, Itavice King*, Nathan Ward, Erwin Gonzalez, Kenneth Garrison, Giovanni Gomez*
• Hugoton High School: Jesus Acuna, Jesus Cano, Lupita Duarte, Josephe Hernandez, Mia Singer*, and Aubree Vanderpool
• Ulysses High School: Fatima Carrillo*, Emily Dodge*, Mariela Franco*, Natalia Jasso*, Brittany Navarrete Pando*, Alexi Ornelas*, Cindy Reza*, Ximynalee Rojas*, Samantha Scott*, Clarissa Sianuqui Munoz*, Natalya Sifuentes*, Oscar Soto*, Jose Tarango*, and Sol Villar*
• Southwestern Heights High School: Edwin Gonzalez-Lujano
• Sublette High School: Edgar Saenz
• Satanta High School: Asher Creedon, Alexander Martinez, Roman Salazar
“Congratulations to these students, and their families, high school instructors and advisors who helped them access this pathway to college,” Bennett said. “It’s a tremendous achievement.”