South Winneshiek student picks up high school diploma--and one from NICC at the same time

Brincks with his parents at South Winneshiek's graduation

When Devin Brincks of Ossian earned his high school diploma from South Winneshiek High School earlier this month he walked away with a college degree, too. 

Brincks focused on math and science in his closing years of high school and made those studies the cornerstone of a college education that started at NICC.

In addition to face-to-face coursework at his own high school and at the college's Calmar campus, Brincks took advantage of the flexibility offered through the college's online classes. He took "Principles of Macroeconomics" and "American National Government" and completed "Composition II," "Cultures of Literature," Calculus and Biology at his high school for college credit.

Brincks said "The different people I met on campus was a really interesting part of taking college-level courses. The group of people in my classes also had a higher maturity level as students and people than my high school peers."

Brincks added, "Because NICC requires instructors to have a master's degree to teach transfer-level classes and since the classes have high standards, NICC is one of the few community colleges with credits that can be transferred to UW-Platteville," he said.  He plans to study civil or environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville next fall, and will begin his studies as a junior.
 
Brincks also immersed himself in a variety of extracurricular activities during the past two years.  He is involved in 4-H and the Boy Scouts. At South Winn High School, he networked with other farmers in FFA, developed his persuasion talents in Speech Club and went out for musicals and plays. Playing the character Judd in the musical "Oklahoma" his senior year even seemed like a logical, given his agriculture and rural background.

Brincks, the son of Randy and Mary Brincks of Ossian, has
an older sister and three younger brothers.