Prospect teen opts for ROTC, college early
PROSPECT — Ashley Dublin is determined to get a head start on the rest of her life.
Dublin, now 18, decided to bypass her senior year at Slippery Rock High School to take full-time college courses at Slippery Rock University. At 17, she was the youngest person to enroll in ROTC classes at the university, following in her father's footsteps in the program.
When she walked into her first ROTC class, she said they didn't know what to do with her.
"My dad was in the military, and I took a military science class last year in the spring, and I liked it a lot better than I thought I would," Dublin said. "They had a lot of labs and a lot of hands-on activities, and you get a uniform at the beginning of the semester if you want one."
Dublin said her father, Mark, has always been a hero in her eyes.
"I wanted a career that was a step beyond the others," Dublin said. "It's something greater than yourself."
Dublin found out about the possibility of skipping her senior year through a couple friends and thought it would be something new. After applying to the college and getting accepted, she filled out withdrawal papers from the high school. She will use her college credits to graduate from high school and has to send her transcripts from the college to the high school as she is still in the system.
She also has to keep a grade-point average of at least 3.2, which hasn't been a problem as she maintains a 3.8 GPA. She said she is always up for a challenge.
Dublin doesn't feel like she is missing out on a lot of the high school aspects of life even though she is surrounded by college students.
"We moved a lot when I was a kid, and when I came to Slippery Rock, I was in eighth grade, and I wasn't really attached to anybody, but ROTC is like family now," Dublin said. "The dances, games and sports you can still do as a senior, so you don't miss too much — you just don't see your friends every day."
Mark Dublin said he was nervous to send his daughter to college so early, but has watched her mature.
"There is a little bit of a culture shock, and as a parent, we weren't quite ready to put our daughter into an adult environment," he said. "Now, you've got a 17-year-old who has been hanging out with college kids all day, and it made her grow up faster."
He also said he is proud to see his daughter accomplishing so much at a young age."She has worked really hard and has good study habits, and now she gets to reap the benefits of that by being two years ahead," he said.He also said his daughter has a good support system and even shares one of his own childhood mentors.Growing up in Slippery Rock, Mark Dublin said Andrew Johnson, now a Slippery Rock High School guidance counselor, was his neighbor and always supported him as a child. Today, whenever his daughter needs a hand, Johnson is there to listen."I played guitar, and he did too, and we would jam as he would say," Mark Dublin said. "He is an unbelievable person and a great guy. He has been a great mentor for my daughter."Ashley Dublin said she maintains balance by keeping an organized schedule and making time for herself to read, go running or relax and watch TV. She said that while she keeps busy, she thinks it will all pay off in the end."I just feel like I am buying more time so that I can have more stuff to do when I am older," she said.Dublin said her biggest short-term goal is to make the Officer's Merit List in ROTC, which combines a student's GPA and extra-curricular activities to determine his or her rank."They rank you against thousands of cadets across the nation, and I want to get into the top 10 percent," Dublin said.She said she will finish her college career at SRU, and later on in life, she would like to become a physicist or teach physics in high school."I would love to travel the world, have a family and a house in a rural area — preferably right next to my parents across the street," Dublin said. "It's a dream."
