Brenda Old

High School Diploma
Medical Billing & Coding

Brenda Old was born and raised in Prosser, Washington. By Old’s junior year, she was struggling academically, and made the decision not to return for her senior year because she needed too many credits to graduate. She spent the next several years working in an office and later as a caregiver for her father. Wanting to make a change, she enrolled in the spring 2017 in YVC’s High School 21+ (HS21+) program. HS 21+ gives individuals 21 years of age or older the opportunity to earn a high school diploma by earning high school credit in YVC College and Career Readiness classes. As students show competency in specific subjects, YVC will grant high school credit. Students earn high school credit based on their ability to show they have met course competencies. Students are not required to pass the state assessment taken by high school students, nor do they need to complete a senior project.

“I chose YVC because it was local,” stated Old. “I chose HS 21+ because I wanted to finish high school and no one else in my family has a high school diploma. What I liked about the program was the support and help I received from my teachers and adviser Sheri Wilkins. I would not have had the opportunity to get my high school diploma without YVC’s HS 21+ program. I would definitely recommend this program to others and I am trying to get a friend to enroll in the program,” she continued.

She completed her high school diploma in May. Summer quarter she will begin taking courses for YVC’s Medical Billing and Coding program. Ultimately, she hopes to become a coding specialist. In the future, she would love to help develop software for coding.