Dual credit allows high school students to take university-level courses while in high school, with the schedule lining up with their high school studies.
Kamel took dual credit courses to get a jump on his university studies, taking NIC’s MAT-151 Finite Mathematics course in the spring.
“The first part of the course was matrix algebra and logic, which I definitely need for computer science, so it’s definitely useful,” said Kamel
Kamel also completed ENG-115 Essay Writing and Critical Analysis through NIC and last year finished another writing course through VIU.
Kamel said high school students who plan on pursuing post-secondary studies or training should “definitely” consider taking courses through the Dual Credit program.
“It’s a great opportunity and worth considering,” he said. “It will give you a leg-up starting college or university and it also prepares you for the workload of university-level courses.”
Kamel is attending UVic this fall, having received a $100,000 scholarship to study engineering.
Kamel has been passionate about science since his early years and got involved in an impressive list of projects while at Ballenas Secondary School thanks to support from his physics and specialized science instructor Carl Savage.
In 2017, Kamel and 14 of his peers collaborated with the UBC Rocket Project to design a payload containing a Raspberry Pi computer that was launched from a rocket at 10,000 feet.
Two years later, he and four classmates designed an experiment to test the effects of space travel on the growth patterns of alfalfa, which was selected by NASA and other researchers as part of the US-based Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
This past spring, he and two of his classmates wrote computer code to detect minute changes in orbit on the International Space Station.
His advice for other high school students is simple.
“If you’re considering college or university, take Dual Credit. It’s going to set you up to explore what you’re passionate about and make the transition to post-secondary that much smoother.”
NIC is offering a range of dual credit courses this winter. Interested high school students can speak with their school counsellor to apply or contact NIC's Student Recruiter-Advisors for information. View the full course list on the Dual Credit page.
