Recent Charles Henderson graduate Diamond Pickett didn’t just get a high school diploma last month; she also graduated from Enterprise State Community College with an associate’s degree in applied science.

She earned her degree via the Academy of Business and Finance at Pike County High School, along with 19 Pike County High students.

Pickett said she was approached to participate in the program after performing well in her sophomore accounting class. Despite the challenge that would come with tackling college and high school at the same time, she didn’t need anybody to push her into it.

“I said ‘Why can’t I do that?’ I’m glad I did because it’s taught me so much,” she said. “Not too many people get to experience college and high school at the same time.”

Not only was she handling college and high school simultaneously, she was also splitting her time between high schools. She’d go to Pike County High School for her academy classes from 7:45 to 10:20 each morning, and then come back to Charles Henderson to take two of her high school courses and an elective.

“People are like ‘How do you go to both?’” she said.

Pickett is planning to pursue a degree in engineering at the University of Alabama. She said she chose Alabama over Auburn, which is well-known for its engineering program, because Alabama was her dream school growing up.

“I’m an Alabama football fan,” she said. “But I’m also a big Alabama basketball fan.”

She hasn’t decided on what specific sector of engineering she wants to go into, but said she’s interested in biomedical engineering and computer science. She said one example of biomedical engineering is building prosthetics.