LaMoille student graduates high school with IVCC associates degree in hand

A LaMoille High School student has graduated high school with something her peers don’t yet have - a college degree.

Kiersten Shevokas graduated from LaMoille High School May 27. By then she had already graduated IVCC with an associates degree on May 14 thanks to LaMoille’s Career Readiness Program.

LaMoille began the career start program in 2019 which allows students to enroll in IVCC Career and Technical Education courses as part of their high school coursework. This program is something that interested Shevokas.

“My goal throughout high school has been to get an associate’s degree before I graduate, which is exactly what I ended up doing,” Shevokas said. “This took a lot of extra work and classes during the school year and in the summer as well.”

During her high school career, Shevokas was involved in volleyball, club volleyball, student council, FFA horse judging team, Life Smarts Team, DIY Club, Drama and STEAM Conference. She also participated in CPASA Suicide Walk, BP Power (organization of teens that worked to create awareness on the dangers of substance abuse and mental health), American Red Cross blood drive and various Lion’s Club activities.

Shevokas also received awards and recognition from the National Honor Society, Illinois State Scholars, The Elks, State FFA, several state fair awards, and various other sports and academic honors.

“I believe this will help me achieve my long-term goals not only due to getting a few years of college done, but also to show my ability to work through a hard course load,” Shevokas said. “Having this done will allow me to move forward and work on gaining experiences outside of formal education and then continuing to work my way into Vet school. This was a great way for my classmates and other classes to show how they can also achieve these goals.”

Shevokas now plans to attend Iowa State University to receive a Bachelors in Animal Science and study Vet Med.