When she was in middle school, Ana Sanchez-Grande, 19, didn’t give her future schooling much thought. She first heard about Buncombe County Early College (BCEC) from a friend who was applying. Not wanting to be left behind, she added her name to the list. “I was scared to go to a high school that had a lot of people in it which I would not know,” she said.
The Hendersonville native is graduating from BCEC this spring with both a high school diploma and an Associate in Arts transfer degree from A-B Tech. Her A-B Tech degree was earned through the Career & College Promise high school dual enrollment program, which offers free tuition to high school students. She also received an academic achievement award given to one Associate in Arts student each year for excelling in her classes and exhibiting outstanding leadership and interpersonal skills.
“Ana holds herself to a high standard and her professionalism shines through both in lab and lecture,” said Biology Department Chair Nga Pace. “(She) has an eagerness to learn and excels with her understanding of the course material.”
Sanchez-Grande also has a head start on a Bachelor of Nursing degree, having taken a CNA course and many high-level STEM courses that fulfill requirements. If you would’ve told 14-year-old Sanchez-Grande that she would be on a steady career path at 19, she likely wouldn’t have believed you. It’s taken years of slow, steady work and patience to get where she is today. Sanchez-Grande said that her third, fourth, and fifth year of early college were the hardest, as they required her to take college courses along with other A-B Tech students. At first, she felt out of place as a younger student.
“I wasn’t very open or interactive with a lot of people simply because I didn’t know how to be,” she said. “I was met with a lot of diversity and a lot of people with different backgrounds and situations.”
In time, Sanchez-Grande became more outgoing and began chatting with her older classmates. Gradually, her confidence grew, and with it, her skills for managing her time and energy well.
Sanchez-Grande said A-B Tech’s Locke Library and writing tutoring through the Academic Achievement Center helped with her studies. She thrived in the library’s inviting, quiet atmosphere and took advantage of reserving private study rooms to help her focus when she had to study for exams. The writing tutors helped her “put the final touch on papers.”
Also helpful were the early college’s small classrooms, where she got to know her teachers personally and was able to make close connections with peers. These days, she feels she has a “tight group of friends that support me and whom I support with all my heart.”
Sanchez-Grande began thinking of becoming a nurse after spending time with her Mexican-born mother at medical appointments where she helped translate important details. Though she initially found translating to be draining, she realized the importance of the role when she saw how few medical professionals speak Spanish.
“I realized I could use this skill and refine it and put it to use for many other families so they can get the care they need,” she said.
Taking a CNA course in summer 2025 clinched the deal. After spending time with patients, Sanchez-Grande began to more fully understand what nursing entailed and felt she was up to the task.
Having a goal to reach for – transferring to a four-year nursing program – also helped her realize the importance of building good study habits that would carry over to a university.
Sanchez-Grande is preparing to attend UNC Greensboro for nursing. She said she’d recommend early college to all middle schoolers, including her own little brother, who is approaching that age. Looking back, she believes she has matured and grown in many important ways.
“I see education more as an opportunity than as something that is hard or a workload,” she said. “I made really strong friendships with people, and I met with a lot of different teachers. I also learned that if I work hard enough and trust myself, things can work out how I want them to.”
Learn more about A-B Tech’s high school dual enrollment program at Career & College Promise.