MORRISVILLE, NY鈥擧ank deGlee considers himself an average high school student. He enjoys playing sports, hanging out with friends, hunting and working on his family鈥檚 dairy farm.
But aside from the regularities of his normal life as a high school teen playing football and tackling trigonometry and calculus, the 18-year-old from South New Berlin is anything but average.
On Tuesday, deGlee took his last two college final exams. On Saturday, he will graduate from Morrisville State College with an associate degree in agricultural business, seven weeks shy of earning his high school diploma from Unadilla Valley Central School.
deGlee will be among graduates who earn their degrees during Morrisville State College鈥檚 commencement ceremony, which will be held Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. in the college鈥檚 recreation center. Sitting in the crowd watching him receive his degree in agricultural business will be the mentor who helped him open so many doors鈥攈is mother, Anna deGlee.
An only child, Hank starting paving the way toward earning a college degree as a high school freshman. Anna shared every step his journey, driving him from high school classes during the day, to Morrisville State鈥檚 Norwich Campus in the afternoon, until he was old enough to drive himself.
In-between racking up college courses and working on the family dairy farm, the 6鈥5鈥 achiever excelled on the high school football field, where he earned first-team all-star honors and was named a New York State Scholar Athlete for Class D Football. He was also an all-star in basketball.
There was no mistaking there was something special about Hank at an early age. 鈥淗e spoke in complete sentences before he was a year old and was the first student in kindergarten who did enrichment in the classroom,鈥 Anna said. 鈥淗e can hear something once and he obtains it like a sponge.鈥
While he mastered every subject, it was math and science that gave Hank the most gratification.
Always willing to embrace a challenge, Anna wanted to enrich Hank鈥檚 education, home-schooling him from sixth to seventh grade. Because he wanted to be a normal kid and to play sports, he eventually returned to the classroom.
His humble nature still defines him. 鈥淚鈥檓 just a normal kid who loves to hunt and to work on the family farm,鈥 he said.
Hank follows in the footsteps of his mother, five uncles and grandparents, who work their 1,000-acre dairy farm, deGlee Valley Farm in South New Berlin, themselves.
His passion for farming led him to the Morrisville State College Norwich Campus, where he was challenged academically and thrived, earning dean鈥檚 list accolades. Three of his uncles also began their higher education at Morrisville State College and graduated with ag business degrees under their belts.
Because he did not have a high school diploma and was only eligible for Del Button Scholarships, Hank paid for most of his education out-of-pocket. Science, math, and English were connected with TC3, Albany State and Morrisville鈥檚 high school college credits.
He credits Morrisville State faculty and staff, particularly Dr. Marsha L. Cornelius, for sharing his vision and fueling his drive.
What else does the future hold for Hank deGlee? He will graduate from Unadilla Valley Central School on June 27鈥攁nd there are no plans to slow down his academic progress after that. He鈥檚 been accepted at Cornell University where he plans to study agriculture. While he鈥檚 still undecided about a specific discipline, he is going to start with animal science. He also landed a spot on the Cornell football team.
Obtaining a master鈥檚 degree may also be in his future, but for now, Hank is content 鈥渏ust being like everyone else.鈥
Morrisville State鈥檚 curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
In addition to being named to the 2014 President鈥檚 Higher Community Education Service Honor Roll, the college was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an institution in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges list and ranked second among regional colleges nationwide for outperforming its anticipated graduation rate.