July 10, 2025
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska
Motivated to be financially responsible, Russell High School student Maddie Sohm made it her goal to get her associate degree by the time she graduated high school, and this May, she reached her goal by walking across the stage as a college and high school graduate within days of each other.
鈥淢y high school offered Barton courses at a much lower cost,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 could pay for classes more easily while also completing my general education classes. I was also struggling with my future career choices, so I was able to try out some medical classes, and I realized that I was much more interested in engineering and industry. Barton helped pave the path for my future and saved me so much money.鈥
Barton offers multiple early college opportunities for Kansas high schoolers from reduced-rate online offerings on many classes, including general education classes, tuition-free workforce training classes through Excel in CTE with face-to-face and online offerings, and many other ways to get a jump start on future education or career plans.
Director of Early College Opportunities Karly Little said more and more students are learning how to take advantage of Barton鈥檚 offerings while still in high school.
鈥淏ecause Maddie took advantage of Barton鈥檚 Early College Opportunities, she鈥檚 reaching and achieving her college and career goals sooner,鈥 she said. 鈥淢ore and more students are realizing that these savings of time and money now really add up in the long run.听 Earning a degree or certificate in high school is allowing students to transfer or go straight into the workforce after high school.鈥澨
Sohm said Barton makes it easy due to their streamlined process and multiple touchpoints.
鈥淏arton immediately set me up with an academic advisor who helped guide me through this pathway,鈥 she said. 鈥淭heir online website was very easy to navigate, and I enrolled in the majority of the classes myself. Barton representatives also came to my high school, and I was able to speak with them about my plans.鈥
Sohm set foot on campus for the first time to pick up her cap and gown and then participated in the commencement ceremony.
鈥淢y favorite part about Barton is the community,鈥 she said. 鈥淓veryone seemed so welcoming when I got there for the graduation ceremony. I was so nervous to graduate with all of these people that I had never even met before. I hadn鈥檛 even graduated high school at that point听and felt very young and out of place, but the individuals at Barton were all very kind and welcoming.鈥
Sohm is moving on to Wichita State University to pursue engineering and welding.
For more information on Barton鈥檚 Early College Opportunities, visit .