Domonique Alex graduating with a high school diploma and associate degree
by Jessica Young |
Domonique Alex grew up in Valdez, Alaska. She is graduating from high school in May while simultaneously graduating from Prince William Sound College (PWSC) with an Associate of Arts (AA). Soon she will be attending Idaho State University where she plans on first completing a certificate in cosmetology and then completing a bachelor’s degree in business. Eventually, she would like to open her own salon or go to law school.
Her aunt has inspired her to pursue cosmetology. Domonique says, “I have always like doing hair, makeup, and nails. My aunt had also done that and she recently just passed, so it’s a way I can remember her by.” She knows that it’s a long path to law school and going into a trade will help her finance her education. She says, “I want to do that in the future, but with my financial situation it is easier if I go into a trade school for a couple of years, and then I could have a real job. Then if I want to go back and get my law degree and go to law school, I can do that.”
Domonique is excited to attend Idaho State University, and completing her education there will be easier because she has already earned her Associate of Arts from PWSC, allowing her to transfer in as a junior when she is ready to complete a bachelor’s. She states, “They ended up accepting all of my credits from PWSC, which was really nice. So I can go in having my AA completely done and I will not have to take any classes a second time.” She also says that taking dual-credit courses gave her confidence in her ability to attend university-level classes, stating “I’m a lot less nervous, I think, than some of the other students are about going to college out of state because they have never taken a college class and they have never met with advisors…”
She started taking dual-credit courses when she was a sophomore in high school, but it wasn’t until junior year that she knew she wanted to complete an AA. She would recommend that other students do the same. “I think it’s a great thing to do because you don’t have to pay for all of the classes because the [dual-credit] classes are paid for. . . I think if you’re going to do it, you should finish it because if you transfer out of state, some schools won’t accept all of the classes you have already taken.”
Staff and faculty at PWSC are excited to see Domonique continue down her path toward accomplishing her education and career goals and are glad to have been a part of that.