“I was really drawn to the atmosphere of it. All the people there were so nice to work with, and they were very team-oriented,”
During her four years at Ellsworth High School, Kallie Beissel played sports and participated in forensics. She also took advantage of transcripted credits through Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Those 36 credits from CVTC and Northwood Technical College have put Beissel on track to graduate from UW-River Falls in 2026 with a degree in Business Administration – a year earlier than other students her age.
“Being able to graduate a whole year early and not even having to double up on credits was … huge for me,” said Beissel, now 19. “Just being able to save tens of thousands of dollars that I would otherwise have to figure out how to pay for. It’s huge. I’m graduating with a full four-year degree in three years, and now I can go into the workforce with that leg up.”
Beissel is thankful she had the opportunity to gain those transcripted credits through her high school. Before she jumped into those classes at Ellsworth High School, she wondered if she was biting off more than she could chew.
“There were definitely some long nights because it’s a college class you’re taking,” she said. “But I was still able to play sports and do extracurriculars.”
During high school, Beissel also had an opportunity to job shadow with the St. Paul Saints Triple-A baseball organization. That’s when she knew she wanted to work in the sports industry.
“I was really drawn to the atmosphere of it. All the people there were so nice to work with, and they were very team-oriented,” she said. “I really love sports. I think it brings people together.”
Right now, Beissel has her sights set on graduating from college and seeing what life brings. But in the meantime, she encourages all interested high school students to take advantage of college courses if offered.
“I’m graduating early. I’m graduating debt-free because of this, and I’m able to get a jumpstart on my career,” she said. “It’s a whole year of me not only not spending money but also making money. I’m so happy that I made the decision to take the classes. I hope other students just go for it like I did.”
