Early College High School at Midland College studying for further studies at Cornell University

On July 17, Caleb Goillandeau will turn 18; however, prior to that, he will graduate from Midland College on May 13 and graduate from Early College High School at Midland College ([email protected]) on May 20. In mid-August, he travels to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he will major in biological sciences on a pre-medical track.

“People often ask me why I chose Cornell,” Goillandeau said. “The main reason is that it’s an Ivy League school with a great reputation, but I also have relatives who live in that area. I applied to Cornell and several schools in Texas. also got accepted to the University of Texas at Austin but I always wanted to go to Cornell.When I got the acceptance letter a few months ago I wasn’t sure we could make it work financially. Fortunately, I will receive several scholarships. Cornell will provide me with networking links and research opportunities, surrounded by other researchers who are interested in their own development.

Goillandeau is one of the top five students in the class of [email protected] He has been attending the Accelerated High School located on the main campus of Midland College since the start of his 10^and-school year.

“I applied to [email protected] when I was in eighth grade at Goddard Junior High,” he explained. “That year I was denied acceptance, but I was determined to go into the program; I loved the idea of ​​being academically challenged. After hearing about [email protected] and how I could get both a high school diploma and a college diploma, I knew this was the program for me. So the following year, when I was in ninth grade at Midland Freshman School, I applied again as a transfer student. Fortunately, I was accepted in the second year.

Goillandeau said he hasn’t regretted his decision for a minute.

“I like the fast-paced environment!” he exclaimed. “It also gave me the opportunity to make friends outside of my age group. During my college classes, I participated in learning teams and focus groups with traditional-aged students, as well as adults. After overcoming my intimidation of being the youngest in the group, I discovered that we all worked well together. Because of where we are in life, we have different perspectives, but that makes our discussions more interesting.

[email protected] is a four-year partnership between the Midland Independent School District and Midland College. Due to an accelerated program, students have the opportunity to graduate from high school with an associate degree and enter college ready for a bachelor’s degree program.

Registration for [email protected] is free for students. Midland College offers a full scholarship to all students so they don’t have to pay tuition. Scholarship funding is provided by community donations, and each year Midland College donates all funds received through the Permian Basin Gives the Day to the [email protected] Scholarship.

[email protected] is ranked among the top high schools in Texas and is considered the #1 in the Midland metro area, according to US News and World Report.

According to the rankings, [email protected] is ranked 195th out of thousands of high schools in the state. Early College High School at Midland College also ranked in the top 40% of schools nationwide. One might think that with these rankings, [email protected] only accepts students from an elite and privileged category. However, this is not the case at all. The minority enrollment rate at the ECHS is 87% and 49% are economically disadvantaged.

“It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in the program, especially being able to take college classes taught by college professors,” Goillandeau said. “The [email protected] program pushed me to do my best, to do something different than just graduating from high school. I learned how to use resources, improve my time management skills and refine my personal values.

Goillandeau has also proven himself to be a student leader, not only at the high school level, but also at the college level. Last year, he was an officer in MC’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society and was instrumental in coordinating a student-produced podcast at Midland College.

“I remember my first PTK meetings,” he recalls. “I sat down and ate the free food, then, in a meeting, Dr. Gilmour [Dr. Terry Gilmour, MC Government Professor and PTK Advisory] talked about creating a podcast for Midland College. Being passionate about podcasting, I immediately told him about it. A few weeks later, I became vice president of leadership and oversaw the Midland College podcast. The podcast was a way to show everything students at MC – ECHS and honors students, as well as non-traditional students – those who were older and returning to pursue vocational training or upgrade their current skills.

“Through PTK, I also met my best friend Anna who attends community college in the Dallas area. PTK has given me connections I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Goillandeau is an only child. His father, Sebastian Goillandeau, was in the US Army and Caleb was born on a military base in Italy. When he was 2 years old, his father was transferred to Fort Hood in Killeen. His parents later divorced and Caleb moved to Midland with his mother April Franco. He attended elementary schools in the Midland Independent School District – Anson Jones Elementary, Bush Elementary, and Washington STEM Academy.

“When I was a freshman in high school, I picked up a book from the Midland Freshman School library called The Hot Zone by Richard Preston,” Goillandeau said. “This is a true story about an Ebola outbreak. The book sparked my interest in infectious diseases even before the COVID pandemic. Right now, my goal is to pursue my interest in infectious diseases, probably through medical school when I graduate from Cornell. In addition to a medical degree, I am also interested in pursuing a PhD.

In his spare time, Goillandeau enjoys playing tennis and playing the violin.

On Friday night, Goillandeau was the selected student speaker at Midland College’s graduation ceremony. During his speech, Caleb addressed his fellow Midland College graduates and said:

“While the world doubted you, you kept running. While you faced the challenges of Midland College, you kept dreaming. You looked at your future, you looked at your life and you said, ‘ I see the future I want, and I’m going to get there.’ »

At the end of the interview for this article, Caleb Goillandeau remarked:

“I had an amazing experience at [email protected] Thank you for giving me the opportunity to study at Midland College and be the highest achieving student I can be.

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Rebecca Bell is the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Midland College