When Richie Basile was a junior at Panther Creek High School in Wake County, he came across a flyer in his school cafeteria that changed the course of his education.
“In big lettering it said: Career and College Promise, get started with your college career, basically in high school,” Basile recalled.
That intrigued him.
“I always knew, ever since I was a little kid, that I wanted to be a lawyer,” explained Basile, now 19. He knew that getting there would be expensive, and that there wasn’t much in his college fund to pay for the bachelor’s degree he’d need first.
“I came to the realization that I know I’m going to be funding my own college, and I know I want to go to law school, so that’s even more,” Basile said.
So Basile went to the information session. There, he learned that while he was still in high school, he could also take classes at his local community college, at no cost to him. The state would pay for the tuition, through the Career and College Promise program.
All he had to do to qualify was be a junior with a 2.5 GPA, and sign up at his school counselor’s office. Basile said he wasn’t a stellar student at the time, but he qualified.
“As a freshman and sophomore, I was very like, middle of the pack,” Basile said. “By junior year, I knew I needed to get my stuff together. I needed to apply to colleges. So life kind of hit me fast.”
The last semester of his junior year, Basile took two online courses at Wake Tech Community College. The following summer he took three courses, then the next semester he took four, then six.
By the time he graduated high school, Basile had 70 college credits, enough for an associate’s degree. He applied to North Carolina State University and entered as a junior. Two semesters later, he graduated with a degree in communications, and less than $20,000 in debt.
The Career & College Promise helps thousands of NC students pursue associate’s degrees in high school
“He’s definitely not alone,” said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, director of the Office of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She helps support the Career & College Promise program at the Department.
Based on agreements between UNC System universities and the North Carolina Community College System, every student who has an associate degree and is admitted to a public university in the state enters with junior status.
And Shah-Coltrane said through the Career and College Promise, thousands of North Carolina students like Basile finish associate’s degrees in high school.
“But do I think he is exceptional when it comes to not only graduating with credits, but also finishing North Carolina State University in just a couple of semesters? Yes,” Shah-Coltrane added.
North Carolina high school students can access the Career & College Promise through three pathways:
- Applying and enrolling in a Cooperative Innovative High School, also known as an early college, where a student can pursue an associate degree in specific tracks
- Via career and technical education courses taught in high schools
- Enrolling in community college courses through any high school
Students can use these three pathways to pick up a few college credits, or pursue a full associate degree free of charge, while attending a North Carolina public school. The North Carolina General Assembly covers the program costs through the state budget, with funding for community colleges and high schools.
Richie Basile wants other students to know about the Career & College Promise
Now, fresh out of college and still shy of his 20th birthday, Basile is working full time at Cisco, applying to law schools, and contributing to his family’s household income.
Basile said helping out his family has been his main motivation. His dad is retired, his mom is an ESL teacher at Durham Public Schools, and his 83-year-old grandmother lives with them. Richie’s dad, Richard Basile, is very proud.
Courtesy of Richie Basile
“He definitely has the attitude that he’s gonna just, he’s gonna get to where he wants to be,” Richard Basile said.
“Saving the money has helped out my family immensely, because I’ve been able to start a full-time job where I’m making a decent income and able to help out my family that way,” Richie Basile added.
“He’s unbelievable,” Richard Basile said with a grin. “Even times I don’t even want to take it and then he insists, so I mean, that’s a pretty cool thing.”
Richard Basile said his friends ask him how his son did it, and he tells other families Richie’s secret: the Career & College Promise.
“What bothers me the most is, they don’t know about it,” Richard Basile said. “No one knows about this, pretty much.”
Shah-Coltrane said that isn’t entirely true. More than 85,000 North Carolina students took at least one class through the program last school year.
“Over a third of our high school graduates, 36% of our high school graduates experienced Career and College Promise during their high school career,” Shah-Coltrane said. “So there are lots of students that know about this program, but there’s always room for more.”
Richie Basile has been trying to spread the word. He often chats with his friends’ younger siblings to tell them how they can finish college early too, with as little debt as possible.
“The way I explain it to them is it’s for ambitious people in high school, ambitious students who know what they want to get out of a college degree — and by the way, it’s free,” Richie Basile said.
Now his ambitions are taking him to law school in the fall, and he’ll be one of the youngest students there.
