CHUGWATER – Local Chugwater student Sabryna Schaffer graduates with two Associates degrees just one year after graduating high school.

In April of 2018 Schaffer was a sophomore in high school and went before the Platte County School District No. 1 board of trustees and asked to be allowed to graduate a year early so she could start college sooner. They were less than supportive with one trustee stating that she was too young and inexperienced to handle college. The board suggested she take the ACT and come back before them after receiving the score.
She took the ACT, received an acceptable score and went back to the trustees at the end of the summer of 2018. Some board members were supportive, others were not, still saying she wouldn’t be able to handle it. They ultimately gave her permission to graduate early, but her confidence was shook so she stayed at the school and didn’t graduate early. However, since she had worked so hard at taking multiple classes early by the time she got to her senior year, there weren’t any classes left to take. All the problems she had previously in enrolling in online college classes were finally resolved and she was able to take college courses exclusively her senior year at the Chugwater High School. She graduated from high school in May of 2020. In December she graduated with aa Associate’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) with a 4.0 GPA and she just added another degree from EWC in social science this month. Schaffer was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
So what’s next for this ambitious go-getter? The University of Wyoming to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. As part of her college classes she interned with different law enforcement agencies and discovered where she belonged.
“My original plan was to do forensic science, but a professor required us to do a ride-along and I did one with Officer David Russell,” Schaffer explained. “It just kind of clicked, this was my calling.”
She hopes to finish her degree and pursue a career in law enforcement.
“I’m finally moving away,” said Schaffer with an accomplished smile. “I’ve always lived in a small town. I just want to get out there and see the world.”