MORAN ? Sarah Spillman has never been a big fan of waiting for things to happen.
She was entering her sophomore year when she also enrolled at Allen Community College.
By the time she was a junior, Spillman was taking four ACC classes which she then upped to five per semester her senior year as part of the dual credit alliance between Marmaton Valley High School and ACC.
By the time Spillman earned her high school diploma Saturday, she?d been a graduate from ACC for two full weeks.
Sarah Spillman graduated with honors from Marmaton Valley and Allen Community College simultaneously. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK SPILLMAN
The simultaneous graduations are part of Spillman?s fast-track effort to become a veterinarian.
?I always knew I wanted to work with animals,? she said. ?And I knew once I got this done, I?d be one step closer.?
Spillman graduated from both schools with a 4.0 grade-point average.
She did this on top of a full slate of extra-curricular activities, including softball, volleyball, basketball, band and theater, FFA, Scholars Bowl, Student Council, National Honor Society, and KAY Club.
Despite all this, Spillman has also worked part-time at Red Barn Veterinary Clinic in Iola, where she will continue to work over the summer.
?It?s pretty amazing to get to work at such a respected veterinary clinic,? she said. ?I?ve always loved animals, probably more than people. I really think that?s my purpose.?
From here, Spillman will attend Kansas State University.
Marmaton Valley High School?s Caiden Elliott is congratulated by USD 257 school board member Steve Becker during Saturday?s senior commencement.
SPILLMAN is a fourth-generation MV graduate. Her mother, Jenny Spillman, grandmother, Nancy Houk Chandler, and great-grandmother, Opal Sullivan Houk, all are Wildcats.
