High school sophomore taking course at UML
Carter Lawrence youngest student accepted into dual enrollment program
LEOMINISTER » Carter Lawrence is making a name for himself academically, and at just 15 years old, he’s the youngest student ever to be accepted into the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Dual Enrollment Program.
“We weren’t expecting for me to go until the fall, so I was really excited,” Lawrence said of his reaction to the good news. “It makes me happy and nervous at the same time. It also means a lot to see how proud my family is.”
The Massachusetts Dual Enrollment Program was established by the Education Reform Act of 1993, providing qualified high school juniors and seniors — and in Carter’s case, sophomores — the opportunity to take courses at public colleges and universities and thus earn both high school and college credit. Participants in this program are required to have a high school GPA of 3.0 or better and be recommended by their high school principal or guidance counselor.
“UMass Lowell is proud to be able to offer academic opportunities such as the dual enrollment program to talented young students like Carter Lawrence,” said university spokesperson Christine Gillette. “This program offers the chance to take real college courses before graduating from high school, providing students the chance to expand their
knowledge as well as gain valuable experience.”
Lawrence, a sophomore at Leominster High School, was born in Hawaii when his mother was in the Navy. They lived in Virginia, Georgia and Montana before settling in Leominster 4K years ago.
The first college class he is taking in tandem with his high school courses is “Introduction to Psychology,” which started Monday. Lawrence is confident he will have no problem balancing his high school and college class work.
Lawrence, in filling out the application for the dual enrollment program, wrote, “My high school work does not take me very long, I’ll do that first,” he said. “The UMass work is outlined in a syllabus and has clear due dates and expectations for the reading. It makes it easy to manage my time. With not being allowed to go anywhere, all I have is time.”
Lawrence said that while remote learning is going OK, he misses his friends. There is a big silver lining to being remote, though.
“One good thing about learning remotely is that it let me accept the opportunity at UMass Lowell,” he said.
He added his high school teachers are “understanding” and supportive of his undertaking and are allowing him to have a five-minute overlap with his UMass class.
“UMass is 8 to 8:50 (a.m.) and my LHS classes start at 8:45,” Lawrence said. “Without remote learning that wouldn’t have been possible.”
When asked what inspired him to apply for the UMass program, Lawrence said that when his mother went back to school, he would go to the Fitchburg State University library to study with her.
“I’m comfortable in that environment,” he said. “It also seemed like a good way to get ahead in school.”
Lawrence is the son of Dr. Tuhin and Angela Bhowmik, who married when he was 6 years old.
“He looks up to him in every way,” Angela Bhowmik said of her son’s stepfather.
She said that Lawrence “is the kind of kid that is any parent’s dream.”
“He is honest, hardworking, compassionate, and God fearing,” she said. “He has been a serious student since he was a young child, an old soul that established early what kind of goals he had for his life. We are so very proud of him for setting those goals and reaching them, one step at a time.”
LHS Principal Steven Dubzinski said that he and the staff at LHS are also proud of Lawrence and his achievements.
“Carter is a great example of the type of student we want at Leominster High School — inquisitive, curious, and motivated,” Dubzinski said. “He excels in his classes at LHS and stepped outside our curriculum and outside his comfort level to challenge himself. He comes from a great family that supported this and we are excited for the trailblazing.”
Angela Bhowmik said the idea of Carter applying for the dual enrollment program has been on the table for some time.
“This is something that we have talked with his school about since freshman year, so they knew he was wanting to do it,” she said. “None of us knew it would happen this early.”
Angela Bhowmik said that once Lawrence applied his LHS guidance counselor Laurie Leverone “acted lightning fast” to get a letter of recommendation and his GPA calculated. She got an email on Jan. 20 from UMass asking that Carter join the spring semester, five days before it was to start.
“I sent all of the information to LHS that evening, and Ms. Leverone had Carter everything he needed, returned to UMass Lowell, by noon the next day,” Angela Bhowmik said. “He started on time on Jan. 25.”
When Angela Bhowmik shared the news on a Leominster-related social media site, boasting about how proud they are of their son, the response was nothing short of positive with over 800 reactions and 180 comments of encouragement and congratulations.
“I just want to share this with the community because I want it known that without Principal Dubzinski, Laurie Leverone, and his teachers being flexible and supportive, this would not have happened for our son,” Angela Bhowmik wrote in the post.
“Thank you for continuing to cheer our kids on in their dreams, in spite of a pandemic. Sincerely, a very proud mother,” she concluded.
In his spare time, Lawrence enjoys doing activities typical for his age such as playing video games online with his friends. He also hones budding humanitarian skills as a family.
“I help my mom cook and deliver food to our friends and neighbors that are stuck inside with COVID,” he said.
As for his future plans, Lawrence said he has some ideas about the direction of his career — but not yet set in stone.
“I am still trying to decide which of my parents I would like to follow,” he said. “They both have really interesting jobs. My mom works in neuro-psych research and my stepdad is a scientist that is working on gene therapy treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.”
At this point he is leaning towards getting a PhD in pharmaceutical science like his step-father, but he is unsure if the school offers that undergrad program.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Dad graduated from Mercer in Georgia, so I might go there, but if I stay at UMass Lowell I can live at home and eat Mom’s food, so there’s that.”
Spoken like a true teenager.