Friday, May 16, 2025
River Falls woman earns college credits in HS, finishes degree at CVTC
Haley Stewart started college when she was a freshman in high school.
On Friday, May 23, she’ll be graduating from CVTC, at the age of 19, with an associate degree in Business Management.
During her first semester at River Falls High School, she began taking Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) business and marketing courses taught by her own teachers. She received high school and college credits for those classes, and the credits transferred to college.
In the long run, she was saving herself thousands of dollars, she said.
“I took full advantage of all the CVTC transcripted credit courses. I loaded up my schedule with all of those,” she said. “The material was very interesting to me, and I know business is beneficial no matter what I do. I knew I could go anywhere with that information.”
Turns out, she didn’t go just anywhere. Stewart headed to the college that made those early credits possible – CVTC in River Falls.
“I definitely considered other colleges. I knew I didn’t want to go extremely far away,” she said. “I wanted to stay close and go somewhere that was more of an affordable option. CVTC fit that bill.”
With nearly 30 CVTC credits earned during high school, Stewart entered CVTC’s Business Management program in 2023 with a leg up. She kept some money in her pocket and was primed with information going in.
Kris Thompson, a CVTC Business Management instructor and former River Falls High School teacher, said he first met Stewart when she was a student in one of his classes at the high school.
“From taking transcripted credits in high school, to then continuing her education at CVTC to obtain her Business Management associate degree, she has always been a hard worker who has understood how to take advantage of opportunities to save money and time,” Thompson said. “She is the type of person who will be successful in whatever future endeavor she chooses to pursue.”
Stewart isn’t exactly sure what her next steps will be, but she knows she wants to enter the workforce and start using her degree.
“I’m learning more about the business and finance side of things,” she said. “I’m also toying with getting a marketing degree from CVTC. I do want to use my degrees as I work towards getting into the forensic science field.”
Regardless of which direction she goes after graduation, she’s certain of one thing: CVTC was the right choice for her.
“It’s kind of a big family,” she said. “I’ve even gone to campus when I didn’t have classes, where I’m surrounded by a community where people are all doing the same thing. I would encourage anyone to try CVTC. You can get involved, and they’re just really knowledgeable. They’re awesome.”
