Kirpa Kaur, a dual-enrollment student, has achieved an incredible milestone: more than 60 college credits at Howard Community College (HCC) in just a year and a half—all while juggling the demands of high school. Now, she’s setting her sights on the nation’s top medical schools. Along the way, she has learned invaluable lessons in empathy that will shape her future as a healthcare professional.
“At Howard Community College, where I began attending at the age of 16, I often took the bus to campus because I couldn’t afford a car,” Kirpa said. “That same bus route stopped at the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, where I volunteered and shadowed physicians, and I often shared rides with patients who were struggling.”
These experiences became the fuel that propelled Kirpa as part of the JumpStart Dual Enrollment program, a partnership between HCC and the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) designed for high school students interested in dually enrolling in college courses at HCC.
JumpStart enables HCPSS students to explore careers and interests, gain exposure to college-level coursework, and enhance their college success.
While at HCC, Kirpa was also a member of the Pre-Med and Allied Health Club, the South Asian Student Union, and the Student Government Association.
She completed a biomarker research project at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and worked on a case study at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Inspired by her grandfather’s brain injury and stroke, as well as her first EMT experience witnessing two tragic deaths, Kaur’s goal is to become a neurologist or psychiatrist.
“I am working on a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, one of the most rigorous majors at Nova Southeastern University, while also completing a biology minor,” Kirpa said.