When Betelhem Mekonnen enrolls at Georgetown University this fall, she will be stepping onto a familiar campus. Through a dual-enrollment course, Betelhem has already taken a course in political sociology at Georgetown during her time as a student at Coolidge High School. “It was great. I learned a lot of things, and it was my first experience of what a college class might look like,” she says. During the course, she appreciated the ways that the professor reached out to her directly to ensure she was supported and the small class environment, both of which were factors as she was making her college choice. At Georgetown, Betelhem plans on majoring in biology on her path to becoming a cardiologist, a career she says she chose after seeing multiple individuals impacted by heart disease. Betelhem says she would describe Coolidge as “awesome, great, and amazing.” During her time at Coolidge, she says she has appreciated the small community. “Everyone is really friendly, and everyone cares about you.” Betelhem says she wants to encourage students to focus on the purpose behind the school work they are doing. “Learn not to get a grade, but to get an education.” #DCPSGoesToCollege
