Alumni Spotlight - Abi Rodriguez

Through the concurrent enrollment program at Union Colony High School and Aims Community College, Abi was able to graduate simultaneously with both her high school diploma and her associate degree. Abi will continue her education at the Colorado School of Mines this fall in hopes of reaching her goal to graduate with 5 years with both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering. She has some lofty goals to achieve and thanks to Aims she has structured a strong foundation and resources to reach these milestones at a record pace.

Abi initially heard about the concurrent enrollment program through a family friend. Abi’s school was conveniently close to Aims, so she decided to give the program a try. As she continued through her high school and college programs, she found she really enjoyed Aims because it gave her numerous opportunities and provided the tools and support she needed to excel. Abi worked with the Campus Activity Programming Board at Aims, where she was able to meet new people and participate in a wide variety of different activities.

“Aims is a very loving and accepting environment, and easy to feel at home.” Abi said recalling her recent memories at Aims.

Although she enjoyed the coursework, it was challenging at times. She said it was difficult to juggle college classes with high school classes, especially when she wanted to be involved in both places. But with her drive to succeed and help setting up a plan from Janet Chase, Program Director of Student Life, Abi was able to graduate simultaneously with both her high school diploma and her college degree. Janet was a wonderful mentor and huge support for Abi and the person Abi states was the most influential person for her at Aims. 

Abi says her best advice for current students at Aims is to get involved and for them to get to know the people around them (including professors). She shares that getting involved comes with many benefits such as creating a connected experience, developing relationships of support and providing a more fun experience while at Aims. As far as the best career advice she received, it was to follow her passions. Abi is on her way to fulfilling those passions with the goal of becoming a civil engineer in a different country and one day starting her own company developing different areas of the world.

Abi was so inspired by her time at Aims that she wanted to give back by creating a scholarship for concurrent enrollment students. She personally funds the “Double Agent Concurrent Enrollment Scholarship” and is the youngest person to ever start a scholarship at Aims Community College.

Abi’s passion for her community and desire to change the world is something to be admired. We look forward to all that Abi will accomplish in the coming years and wish her the best success in all of her dreams as they come true. 

Visit the High School Programs page to learn about concurrent enrollment and other Aims opportunities for high school students.