Two Odessa Collegiate Academy students have reached the milestones of high school graduation and associate degree completion.
Shaily Brant, 18, and Jason Lambert, 15, will be taking part in Odessa College’s commencement set for 6 p.m. Dec. 10 and 10 a.m. Dec. 11 in the main gym of the OC Sports Center.
About 300 graduates will take part, Director of Media Relations Cheri Dalton said in a text message.
Brant plans to attend the University of North Texas and study at the honors college. Lambert is heading for the University of Texas Permian Basin. Both will start in the spring semester.
Brant will walk the stage Friday and Lambert’s turn is Saturday.
Brant will study psychology and go for an advanced degree in psychiatry. Brant said she only has to attend UNT for two years, thanks to earning an associate degree in general studies.
Odessa Collegiate Academy Principal James Ramage said when students finish high school a semester early, they’re graduated officially on their transcript. But they will walk the stage for the ceremony in May 2022.
Brant has attended OCA for four years.
“The the main reason I came here was because it was a small school. …,” she said.
Lambert will graduate with an associate degree in STEM. At UTPB, he plans to study animation and game design. He also hopes to go on for advanced degrees.
Brant said she chose a field of study she thought was cool. She added that she will be the first in her family to go to college.
“… I’ve always believed that I need a career and I don’t want to just get a job; like a normal job. I want something that I guess only I could do, but education was needed,” Brant said.
She purposely chose a college that was not nearby.
“… I want to jump into life,” Brant said.
She recently returned from a visit to UNT. Brant said it was big.
“It’s a big campus. It was like blocks. It was crazy. It was nothing like OC …,” Brant said.
She added that attending OCA will help her adjust to the new setting “because it’s actual college.”
“But it was a little scary, like registering for classes by myself. There were advisors to help me, luckily. But here, all that’s kind of done for you. But it still helps,” she said.
Lambert said he is pretty familiar with the UTPB campus. He would be a freshman when he gets there.
“What they do … for any students whether it’s here or OHS (or) Permian … when they transfer their associate’s, they’re still classified as freshmen for one semester,” Ramage said. “And the reason being is that way they can attend the orientation classes and they’re eligible for freshman scholarships. Then the second semester, they’ll add in all their credits and they bump them to junior status.”
Asked how he finished his studies so fast, Lambert said it came down to a lot of hard work and determination.
He moved from fifth grade to eighth grade in Crane ISD. Then he was told about OCTECHS, so he went to OCTECHS and transferred to OCA.
“It was a difficult process,” Lambert said of the jump.
But in the end, it worked out well.
His 10th to 11th grade year was not the best for him because of COVID. Ramage said Lambert went to school virtually for a year.
“Some were OK with it; some struggled with that because … you just can’t replace face-to-face instruction,” Ramage said.
Brant said she made her first C.
Lambert said he was born in Miami, Fla., moved to Crane and then moved to OCA. He has lived here for almost nine years.
Lambert took the Texas Success Initiative and passed all the sections but math.
“It still allowed me to be able to apply to OCTECHS and here. I got into OCA and OCTECHS, respectively. Then from there, I was able to pass my math exam the same year …,” he said.
Ramage said it doesn’t matter how old you are when you pass the TSI.
“Most kids take it typically between their junior senior year,” Ramage said. “Our kids take it typically between eighth and ninth grade. So our kids take it early. Math, sometimes we hold off a little bit just because it’s got some Algebra II on it. And so the kids sometimes will take it early just to see what’s on it …”
But then they pass it on the second try, he said.
“… For a lot of them that are from eighth grade, they just haven’t had that level of math yet so we typically wait a little bit to get some high school math under the belt,” Ramage added.
Lambert said other people told him he was miles ahead of his classmates, but he never really felt that way.
He has one brother and one sister; Lambert is the youngest. His sister, the middle sibling, graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s in business and economics.
He feels OCA has prepared him academically and emotionally for college.
Brant said she didn’t think about graduating from college before high school before.
“… It’s cool that it’s happening,” Brant said.
“I want to get ahead as soon as possible, because I just want to … to hurry up and get … to life. … Being stuck at home as a kid is boring and I’m ready for responsibility already,” Brant said.
She has an older brother and she will be the first in her family to go to college.
Lambert said he feels happy about graduating, but with some insecurity at the same time.
He marvels at the fact that graduation is almost here.
“… It’s already here. It’s right there, right around the corner,” Lambert said.
He added that he wants to finish university quickly.
“… During my entire childhood, I basically was working my butt off to always be at the top of my class always, do this and that, even when I was struggling with depression during … 10th and 11th grade. I still tried to push myself even if it was kind of difficult at times. But the question still remains. It’s like you’ve worked with us your entire life yet it’s finally right there and you don’t know how to feel …,” Lambert said.
“We’re extremely proud of them,” Ramage said. “They’ve worked really hard. So in addition to getting their associate two years early. On top of that, they’re a semester ahead of all the other students. And so they’ve worked really, really hard; a lot of classes; a lot of work; a lot of homework. But the end result is they’re walking the stage in December, so we’re super excited for them and we’ll definitely be following them as they take on the next part of their life.”
