After earning diplomas from St. Petersburg College and East Lake High School, the teenager is ready for her next academic experience.
By TIFFANI SHERMAN
Published August 4, 2003
EAST LAKE - Most 17-year-olds are enjoying their last weekend before school starts again. When they walk through their high school doors Tuesday morning, they'll be on top of the world. They'll be seniors.
But not all 17-year-olds.
Debbie Faulkner of East Lake is already a college graduate.
She earned her associate degree from St. Petersburg College's Tarpon Springs campus on July 26.
It took only 18 months.
"It's great to get ahead while you're young and can take advantage of what comes your way," said Debbie's mother, Sandy Faulkner.
In January 2002, with family support, Debbie left East Lake High School halfway through her junior year. She continued high school lessons at home while enrolled at SPC.
About 1,600 students participate in the college's dual credit program, according to David Moore, program director of dual credit and international studies at SPC. That number includes students who take just one class and those who are pretty much full-time students at SPC.
Each year, two or three students graduate from high school and college in the same year. That's what Debbie did.
"It's significant, and certainly notable," Moore said.
Debbie's older sister, Gina, 21, blazed the trail for her. She started taking classes at SPC when she was 16. So did younger sister Lisa, 16.
In college, Debbie jumped right in, becoming involved in student government, honor society and just about anything else.
"I think activities played an important role in my social life," Debbie said. "It made it feel more like a close-knit environment."
Debbie graduated with a GPA of 3.785 on a 4.0 scale. She earned an outstanding student award and a four-year Presidential Scholarship to Stetson University in DeLand.
She'll start classes there later this month, with junior status.
Juggling classes, activities and often part-time jobs seems to come easily.
"She's very organized," said Diane Ronspies, student activities coordinator for SPC's Tarpon Springs campus. "She knew what she wanted to get out of this whole thing, and she went for it and got it."
Ronspies has known Debbie for about 13 years. She used to run the preschool Debbie and her sisters attended.
Involvement is nothing new. Debbie founded her own charitable organization when she was 14. Since then, Teens for Charitable Causes has raised more than $11,000.
She has also participated in a few pageants, including competing to be this year's Miss Seminole, a preliminary for the Miss America pageant. Debbie said she earned thousands of dollars in scholarship money from pageants and learned about herself in the process.
"I plan to be involved in pageants when I move on to Stetson," she said. "I really, really enjoy it."
But academics will come first. Debbie plans to double major in political science and American studies and minor in Latin American studies.
Her sights are set on law school after that.
Debbie seems to be taking her own advice.
"If no one else looks out for you, you have to," she said.
