MARINETTE — Imagine graduating high school with half of college already completed. For 25 Marinette High School students, they don’t have to wonder.
Sixteen students earned an associate’s degree with the University of Wisconsin — Green Bay’s Rising Phoenix program this month, while the other nine achieved enough credits to get a two-year head start on their bachelor’s degrees.
“I probably saved a good $30,000,” said Mike Philipps, a senior at Marinette High School who finished 57 credits through the program. “Just the credits alone, I saved almost $20,000. That’s not even including room and board and all that fun stuff.”
The Rising Phoenix program started in the fall of 2020 with Manitowoc Lincoln High School and has since expanded across the state. The University of Wisconsin celebrated its third group of program graduates this semester, with 100 students earning their associate’s degree before high school graduation, said Adam Landenberger, student success coach at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“This program allows students from all different backgrounds and locations to accelerate their post-high school plans,” said Landenberger. “I am beyond proud to have worked with them the past two years, seeing them grow in the classroom or on the court, and wishing them well on their next adventures they are more than prepared for.”
The group from Marinette completed over 1,400 credits, he said.
Marinette High School principal Sarah Anderson said the high school and UW-Green Bay worked together to ensure students made it through the program.
“We both have the same goal, which is to put our students first and to support what is best for the student, whatever that may be,” Anderson said.
The school also offers 21 classes year-round for all students to participate in and take for college credit through the Dual Enrollment Access Academy and the Early College Credit Program. Students who participate in the Rising Phoenix program, according to Anderson, don’t have to earn the full associate’s degree.
Philipps plans on continuing his mechanical engineering degree at UWGB. He customized his credits to align with his pre-engineering coursework. He expects a large workload ahead, but with some relief from the credits he already has.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish school in two years, but even just to shave off and make my workload easier would be huge,” Philipps said.
Students can apply for the Rising Phoenix program as sophomores with an application process similar to what most prospective college students fill out when applying to their schools of choice.
Once accepted, students are assigned a counselor and student success coordinator to help them navigate the challenges. The program combines college courses offered by UWGB with a blend of courses at their high school. This means that students start earning dual credit to progress toward a UWGB associate’s degree, while finishing up their high school requirements in English, math, science, social studies and economics.
“The hard part for a high schooler to balance college classes is that they’re still involved in high school,” Philipps said. He managed to maintain his extracurriculars in soccer and golf but had to change how he studied.
“Going into it, I knew I was going to have to put in more than I was used to,” Philipps said. “It caught me off guard when it actually happened.”
The students also ended up with some free time. Frankie Marquardt, who plans on attending UW-Madison next year for real estate and land economics and earned his associate’s degree, said he didn’t struggle to complete assignments, but sometimes dealt with procrastination.
“To fix this, I started doing my work right when it got assigned that week, figuring that if I just got it all done, I could experience the same free time I had before,” Marquardt said.
Despite their struggles, the students said the program had paid off.
“This program came at a perfect time and gave me the necessary resources to get a glimpse into life in college,” Marquardt said. “Before this program, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but after course-specific work and the ability to explore the benefits of each career, I know that real estate is my passion.”
Philipps said he’d like to land a job in the Green Bay and Appleton area. Before that, he said he’d be enjoying his accomplishments so far.
“I feel like it’ll make the transition into college a lot easier,” Philipps said.
He thanked Landenberger, his student success coach, and Rebecca Brink — especially for her help in calculus. He said people are amazed by the program.
“I feel proud is what I can say,” Philipps said.
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