I'm a Pathfinder: Carly Ferguson
June 13, 2023
ASHLAND, Ky. – Carly Ferguson isn’t simply finding her path at Ashland Community and Technical College…she’s blazing a trail.
At sixteen, Carly just finished her junior year of high school and is halfway through her coursework at ACTC.
Ferguson became a full-time student at ACTC last fall, after taking online courses from ACTC as a sophomore at Holy Family.
Although Ferguson was among the youngest in her classes at ACTC, she said she found it easy to relate to the other students.
“We are all here for the same reason,” she said.
This time next year, Ferguson will be a graduate of Holy Family Collegiate High School, and will have earned her high school diploma, as well as Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees from ACTC.
After graduating from ACTC, Ferguson intends to transfer to Morehead State University and major in Equine Science. She hopes to then go on to Auburn University to study to be an equine vet.
As a part of the Equine Science program at MSU, Ferguson will get hands-on experience with live horses at their 325-acre farm, the Derrickson Agricultural Complex.
“ACTC has helped me understand what I need to do to pursue my career.”
She says her introductory biology course at ACTC, taught by Dr. Aschalew Mengistu, helped reinforce that she was on the right track for her future.
“Biology was so much fun for me,” Ferguson said. “It opened things up for me and confirmed for me that I wanted to follow that career path.”
With substantial general education components, the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees at ACTC are designed for transfer to baccalaureate programs at universities.
In 2014, Holy Family Catholic School formed a collegiate high school, in conjunction with ACTC, to give students the opportunity to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a community college degree. In this partnership, Holy Family Collegiate High School students attend the first two years in a college preparatory program at the Holy Family campus.
“Through Holy Family Collegiate High School, we have graduated students with both an Associate in Art and Associate in Science Degree, as well as students who choose a technical pathway so that they can enter the workforce directly following high school graduation,” said Jennifer Allen, ACTC Holy Family Advisor. “We just completed the sixth year of the program and are looking forward to the start of our seventh year this Fall 2023. The Holy Family Collegiate program at ACTC is a great opportunity for future leaders of our community.”
