For 2016 Capac High School graduate Megan Jamison, the Blue Water Middle College Academy (BWMCA) was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“My experience at SC4 was very memorable. I was able to get a head start on my college career, explore different fields of study and earn a degree just one year out of high school,” said Jamison, who enrolled in the BWMCA and graduated from St. Clair County Community College with an associate degree in arts in 2017.
While at SC4, Jamison participated in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and found her passion for science thanks to Professor Suzanne Doherty’s geology course. She also was able to adjust to college life and finish most of her general education requirements for her bachelor’s degree.
Jamison transferred to Oakland University in fall 2017 and in 2019 earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a concentration in resource management and environmental sustainability.
She currently works as a research assistant in an environmental chemistry lab conducting research on hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean and the impact of climate change on soil microbes. A paper she co-authored, “Temperature sensitivity of mineral-enzyme interactions on the hydrolysis of cellobiose and indican by β-glucosidase,” was recently published in Science of the Total Environment. Additionally, she is hard at work as an interpretive guide through the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, teaching STEM-based programs to pre-K-12 school groups.
Just three years past high school graduation, Jamison has experienced a great deal of success and shows gratitude for her community college experience at SC4.
“My goal is to continue my education, focusing more on environmental chemistry,” Jamison said. “Community college helped me transition easily from high school to college to the workplace and was a more affordable, accessible option. If I had the choice to go back in time, I would still choose to go to SC4 because I think it was the perfect fit for me.”
