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MaST Community Charter Students On Their Way To Graduating Twice This Year

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It's graduation season and one group of students from Philadelphia is about to accomplish a feat few others dare to attempt. They're graduating twice in one year.

This past weekend, they were VIP at graduation, just not the graduation one might expect.

At just 18 years old, six students from MaST Community Charter School in Northeast Philly received their college degree. It was a unique honor, especially considering they don't even have a high school diploma. At least, not yet.

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It's an accomplishment beyond their young years, but on Saturday, they couldn't help but show their age.

"I feel like I'm just going to fall on my face when I go up there," Sabrina Fiocca says.

Eyewitness News originally sat down with this group back when they were sophomores and had just started this journey together.

They were the first students to embark on a new program at MaST where students leave campus during the school day to take classes at the Community College of Philadelphia in Northeast Philly.

After three years of double the course load, they now have more than 60 college credits to their name and an associate's degree in business.

"I think this school has given us all the materials to succeed," Carson Lo says.

"We learned how to manage our time, we learned how to manage all of our work," Fiocca adds. "We're not only getting the degree but we're getting the experience."

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And they're also saving money. At $100 a credit, and fees waived, their education comes at a fraction of the typical cost.

"When we first heard about the program my mom was like take it," Selwin Varughese says. "We're going to save a lot of time doing this. Take it, take it, she said."

But this dual enrollment was anything but easy. These kids credit their high school and college teachers as well as their parents for helping them along the way.

"I'll be stressed out and I'll go to them and they'll tell me, this is just a little hurdle," Savannah Zazulak says. "Everything will work out in the end."

And the teens understand that challenges are just beginning. Some of them have only known one school, attending MaST for 13 years.

"I've been here since kindergarten," Mackenzie Schoen says. "It's been the same people, so I need to branch out."

But director of CCP's Northeast campus says they met those very same hurdles head on at the community college, and they'll do it again.

"I know in the beginning they didn't want to stand out," Kathy Mulray remembers. "They wanted to blend, but they stood out academically, and they participated in student activities and student life."

After graduation, they'll take a much-needed break. And then, their next journey begins as full-time college students.

"Just relax and mentally prepare for the big transition in August," Anthony Rodriguez says.

First, they have to finish high school. MaST graduates in June.

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