One MCHS senior earns Motlow State degree prior to her high school diploma

MCHS senior Chloe Brant poses with her Associated Degree from Motlow State after commencement on May 9. She’ll receive her high school diploma from Moore County High School tonight during MCHS Graduation. (Photos Provided)

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — It’s rare that a high school student receives a college degree before their diploma, but that’s exactly what happened on May 9 for one Moore County High School senior, Chloe Brant. This Friday, she will walk with her Raider classmates to receive her high school diploma with a Motlow State Associate’s Degree already hanging on her bedroom wall.

Chloe lives in the Turkey Creek community of Moore County with her mom, Tracy Sparks, and step dad, Travis Sparks. She has two older sisters, Shannon Gibbs and Chelsea Alcorn.

Chloe accomplished this as part of Motlow State’s Dual Enrollment Program, which outpaces every other community college in the state in the number of students who graduated from Motlow the same semester as they graduated high school. Just eight students across the state accomplished this in 2019. In 2020, that number rose to 65 students – a 800 percent increase.

According MCHS Guidance Counselor Amy Kimbrough, Chloe is the only MCHS senior to earn this accomplishment this year. Motlow State Dual Enrollment Coordinator Lisa Campbell says she had a total of five dual enrollment students graduate with their degree from Motlow in May.  The other four were from Tullahoma High School.

Not only did Chloe graduate from Motlow State earlier this month, she also graduated Magna Cum Laude something her mom, Tracy Sparks, says happened as a surprise.

“We had no idea,” Tracy says. “None of us knew it until we looked in the commencement book. I’m so proud of her.”

Just a regular high school experience

Chloe says that dual enrollment classes didn’t really change her high school experience.

“I did get to go into school later and had to find time to actually study,” Chloe says. “In the past, I was always the person that if I saw it and heard it, I would remember it. But with most of my classes being online, the material was harder to retain. Other than these two things, not much had changed. I still got to be involved in extracurricular activities and fun events such as homecoming and Winterfest.”

During her senior year at MCHS, Chloe also participated in multiple extra curriculars like varsity cheerleading, the tennis team, pep club, and National Honors Society.

Chloe received over $150.000 in scholarship offers from multiple colleges including the University of Tulsa, UT Martin, East Tennessee State University, Austin Peay State University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bellermine University, the University of Alabama at Huntsville, as well as Motlow State.

After graduation, Chloe says she plans to attend the University of Alabama at Huntsville to study Mathematics with a goal of earning a NASA internship,

“My dream job is to work at NASA,” Chloe says. “I’ve always been told that having a big dream is more achievable than having no dream. I have always had a love for math and solving problems, and looking back, I liked learning about the solar system far more than any other parts of science in any class I have ever taken.”

The Moore County Graduation Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 20 at 6 p.m. at Doug Price Field at Moore County High School. In the case of rain, it will be moved to the MCHS Gym. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally-owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}