B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 25 D’Carius Clark South Georgia State College D’Carius Clark started at the head of the class when he arrived at Clark Atlanta University in August 2017. Before graduating from Coffee County High School with honors, Clark had already earned an Associate of Arts in general studies from South Georgia State College in Douglas. Managing a challenging academic schedule, along with playing high school football, Clark said being a dual enrollment student prepared him for the fast pace of college life. “I think as far as the way curriculum and coursework are different from that of high school, dual enrollment prepared me tremendously as a student,” said Clark, who was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa honor society while attending South Georgia State College. “It allowed me to PHOTO: CURTIS MCDOWELL FOR CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY COVER see the workload, how to balance my class schedules, how to prepare for tests, and a ton of other aspects that come with being a college student.” Clark, who plans to attend medical school, said the experiences and lessons learned as a dual enrollment student provided him with a solid foundation to continue his college journey. The best thing about dual enrollment was that it allowed me to begin a new experience and start college early while I was in high school. It provided a blueprint for the place I am in my life right now at Clark Atlanta University, which makes my experience much easier. - D’Carius Clark