With resilience, strength, and hope, early middle college student graduates with high school diploma and associate degree after cancer battle

“My time at the GTCC middle college most definitely prepared me for college at UNCG. I’m going in with 60 credits, I understand how the classroom environment works, and I know how to communicate with the professor,” said Gamez-Pineda.

Growing up in High Point, Dulce Gamez-Pineda was exploring high school options when she learned about GTCC’s early middle college program on its High Point campus. The chance to get a head start on college immediately appealed to her.

In 2021, she began early middle college with a goal of pursuing both her high school diploma and associate degree at the same time. As the child of parents who immigrated to the United States, her goal was to become a first-generation college graduate.

“I didn’t hear about middle college until I started researching high school options,” said Gamez-Pineda. “It’s really close to me, and I really liked the opportunities there.”

GTCC offers three early middle college locations on its Jamestown, High Point, and Greensboro campuses. The tuition-free high schools, offered in partnership with Guilford County Schools, integrate traditional high school coursework with college-level classes and enable students to earn a high school diploma while simultaneously accumulating college credits.

Students can graduate with an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university as a junior, or obtain skilled trades credentials that prepare them for in-demand careers in the local workforce.

Some of the many benefits to Gamez-Pineda were the class sizes and having more input on her class selections.

“I enjoyed middle college a lot,” she said. “I liked getting into the college environment at an earlier age. It prepares you and helps you mature and gives you a connection with professors. It’s a big difference from being in a high school classroom. The high school classes were smaller, so you got more one-on-one time with the professors and teachers.

“My favorite thing about the whole experience was being able to pick my classes and have more control over my schedule.”

Gamez-Pineda thrived in the early middle college experience. However, at 16 years old, she hit a detour in her plans. She was a junior and heading into her second semester when she was diagnosed with cancer.

“Three years ago, this coming January I found out I had cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” she recalled. “In Dec. 2023, I started noticing that when I took a deep breath, I would have sharp pain. I didn’t think much of it. Leading up to 2024, it worsened to where if I bent over, I would have a sharp pain and then I started having back pains. I finally had a doctor appointment that led to several tests and then to a diagnosis.”

Hearing she would be in treatment for more than two years, she was devastated by the thought of not graduating in four years with both degrees. However, the support she received from her family, friends, and her GTCC and GCS advisors brought her tremendous comfort during treatment.

“When I first started treatment, I was worried most about my plans of getting my associate degree and high school diploma at the same time. I thought I could still do this,” she recalled. “I was a junior when I got my diagnosis, and the spring semester had just started. My advisor and counselor told me I needed to take a break from school. I remember sitting at the hospital waiting to get my lumbar puncture when I found out I had to delay school and was so distraught.

“The support from GTCC was amazing, my advisor was always communicating with me. She always reminded me not to take on too much and was always supportive. I was getting chemo monthly and I didn’t want my appointments to collide with my classes. My college advisor would help me find alternative ways. She was amazing!”

Gamez-Pineda never fully stopped school during treatment but significantly scaled back her schedule and went to online classes.

“During my senior year of high school, I was still taking high school online classes. Then in the spring semester of my senior year, they allowed me to start taking more classes. Thankfully, GTCC switched to the eight-week semesters and allowed me to complete my associate degree quicker,” she said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the eight-week semesters.”

Taking advice from both her GTCC and GCS advisors to focus on her health, the first-generation college student stayed for a fifth year and received both her associate in arts degree and her high school diploma in May. Now in remission, Gamez-Pineda will begin at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro this fall as a junior.

“My time at the GTCC middle college most definitely prepared me for college at UNCG. I’m going in with 60 credits, I understand how the classroom environment works, and I know how to communicate with the professor,” said Gamez-Pineda. “I’m not scared to start school because I already know what it will be like.”

Her plan is to major in a degree that will allow her to focus on information technology and supply chain management. However, she remains passionate about advocating for childhood cancer patients.

“I want to advocate for childhood cancer research; it’s something I feel really strongly about. Raising awareness for what children go through, I think folks expect that once you ring the bell it’s all over but there are many long-term side effects.”

For more information on GTCC’s early middle college program, visit gtcc.edu/academics/high-school-programs/index.php