Future So Bright: Celina Brooks

On May 3, Celina Brooks will be graduating from Community College of Philadelphia prior to receiving her High School Diploma in June, thanks to CCP’s dual enrollment program with the Parkway Center City Middle College. At 17 years old, Celina will begin her bachelor’s degree journey at West Chester University with years of college experience and an associate degree in Liberal Arts.

When Celina was applying to high schools in Philadelphia, she didn’t realize that the one she chose required her to attend CCP as a dual enrollment student. “Once I was accepted, they told us what we would be doing,” Celina said. “It was pretty stressful to adapt because I was coming right out of COVID. In middle school, we were all online.”

But Celina felt comforted by her peers at Parkway Center, and her teachers there and at CCP. The first two years of high school included a mix of high school classes and classes at CCP, which helped ease her into taking college courses. By 11^th grade, Celina was taking all her classes at CCP. “I've taken prerequisite courses and I've taken Psych 101, Abnormal Psych and I'm now taking Child Psych,” Celina said.

After graduating, Celina will start a bachelor’s degree program in Psychology at West Chester University. Her main goal is to work in the clinical psychology field. But Celina is also interested in Business as a minor, since she currently owns and runs her own skin care business called SkinSheational, which she created during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During COVID, I was honestly really bored, and I needed some entertainment,” Celina said. “So, I found different people making shea butter, and I tested different things. I eventually started doing pop-up shops and networking with people.” Now, Celina makes and sells shea butter skin care products, and she plans to continue her business next year at West Chester, as time allows.

Balancing school and her own business means Celina has to have great time management skills. She said she really learned how to balance her priorities by attending CCP. “Going here and having to take college [classes] has definitely taught me time management,” Celina said. “It has taught me how important it is to be on time, punctual and prepared.”

Celina thinks having this experience will set her up for success at West Chester. “I definitely feel like I have a jump start or just have more of a sense of what I'm entering and what I'll be dealing with,” she said. But it’s also helped her realize her own potential.

Though Celina thinks of herself as a shy person, that certainly doesn’t stop her from getting involved. During her 11^th grade school year, Celina was assigned an Acting class at CCP, which she found to be very nerve-wracking. But, she said, “I found a group of people that kind of helped me get through the class and tell me I'm doing it right. It’s just a group of encouraging people. A connection of positivity.” Celina has a group chat with her Acting class friends and hopes to stay in touch with them after graduation.

Now that she’s graduating, she’s finally starting to see her own strengths. “Everyone tells me I have a bright future ahead of me and sometimes I fail to see that,” Celina said. “But I feel like now that I’m realizing that I'm about to graduate college at 17, I do have a bright future ahead of me.”