BRIGHT FUTURES — Bob Hope junior excelling at college while still in high school
Published 12:32 am Tuesday, January 17, 2023
- Camila Barragan is a junior at Bob Hope High School. (Monique Batson/The News)
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Camila Barragan isn’t quite sure what she wants to do in the future, but the Port Arthur junior has assured herself that she’s well on her way to achieving it.
The Bob Hope High School student has already secured 38 college credits by taking dual-enrollment courses.
And Lamar University is where she plans to attend after graduating high school in 2024.
The choice is as much for the location as the amenities.
“I went for a field trip and I liked it a lot,” she said. “They have a lot of different stuff there.”
Camila Barragan plans to attend Lamar University after graduating from Bob Hope High School in 2024. (Monique Batson/The News)
Currently Barragan is earning college credits in chemistry, English and history. The latter is her favorite course.
“I like talking about World War II a lot and watching a lot of movies,” she said.
She will continue with dual-enrollment courses during her final grade school year.
“We try to get (the students) to at least 42 by the time they graduate,” said Campus Director Jesus Acosta. “That’s our goal. It’s called the Texas Core because you change your mind when you go to college. That normally puts them, depending on the college they go to, at a sophomore or junior.”
According to information from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, “the purpose of the core curriculum is to ensure that Texas undergraduate students enrolled in public institutions of higher education will develop the essential knowledge and skills they need in order to be successful in college, in a career, in their communities, and in life.”
Courses stem from communications, mathematics, life and physical science, language, philosophy, culture, creative arts, American history, government, political science, and social/behavioral sciences.
Once in college, Barragan aims to pursue a white collar education.
“I think right now I want to go to business school,” she said. “I would like to get a nice job in an office building somewhere.”
Barragan is active in National Honor Society and holds the second place rank among her class. But there are challenges of maintaining a high grade point average while excelling in college courses.
It’s a lot of reading, a lot of books, a lot of time,” she said.
When not studying, Barragan enjoys playing volleyball.
