Freshman Owen Marcukaitis knows a good value when he sees one. And that’s not just because he is a double major in accounting and finance. Owen grew up in Bourbonnais and was very familiar with Olivet Nazarene University. His dad works in Benner Library, and Owen loosely considered it as an option for college. But it wasn’t until he learned about the Early Scholars program from some older high school friends that Owen really accounted for how enrolling at the University might personally benefit him.
The Early Scholars program is designed to allow academically qualified high school students to dual enroll at Olivet and their local high school — to gain college credits through the former and to satisfy graduation requirements of the latter. For many students, the dual enrollment is heavily subsidized by both Olivet and the student’s high school, creating an accessible avenue for students to build their college transcript before they cross the stage to receive their high school diploma.
“The Early Scholars program is such a unique opportunity for students to get a head start on their college journey,” says Tiffany Holohan, Early Scholars program director. “It’s not just about earning credits. It’s about exploring interests, building confidence and stepping into their post-high school college experience with a support system already in place.”
The summer following his sophomore year at Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School (BBCHS), Owen enrolled in his first collegiate course: an online general education course to test the waters.
“I was super nervous about it,” he reflects. “But when I got into it, I realized it was only a little step up from high school.”
During his junior fall semester at BBCHS, Owen enrolled in four more classes at Olivet — a pattern he would follow for the remainder of his high school experience. The bulk of his academic load during his junior and senior years of high school were college-level courses, but he still played in the BBCHS band and participated in multiple sports, math team and scholastic bowl with his high school classmates.
“It was definitely intimidating to sit in classes with college students at first,” Owen says. “But after the first two weeks, I realized everyone was just a student. I also had a group of friends who were Early Scholars, so I didn’t feel like I was alone in the experience. We would hang out between classes. But it also wasn’t hard to make new friends on campus; you just had to be intentional.”
By the time he enrolled at Olivet as a full-time first-year student, Owen had completed 78 hours of credit, which technically classified him as a second-semester junior. However, accounting majors at Olivet are encouraged to take 150 hours of course credit, as it is a requirement for anyone who wants to sit for the Certified Public Accountant Exam. For most students, that would mean taking 18 hours each semester or extending to a fifth year.
“By doing Early Scholars, I knew I could extend college a bit,” Owen says of his interest in the dual enrollment program. “There was less pressure to know what I wanted to do right away. You do lose a little bit of time at the high school, but you also unlock the college life. Early Scholars opened up my college experience and shaped it in ways that other college students can’t do.”
One benefit to expanding a young student’s collegiate experience is that the early exposure to college-level courses provides time and space to explore through academics. Owen changed his major four times before he actually enrolled at Olivet, which isn’t uncommon for students as they examine which area of study most resonates with their interests and as they develop career goals.
Now that he has shifted to being fully immersed in life at Olivet, his connections have expanded through his participation in the student-managed Investment Club and filing taxes for the community through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Because he had already earned half the credits required to graduate, some of the academic pressure to max out each semester schedule has been lifted.
“Watching students like Owen grow through the Early Scholars program is incredibly rewarding,” Tiffany says of the program. “Students come in unsure, maybe a little nervous, but they leave with a clear direction, a network of friends and an academic head start that can make a huge difference in their future careers.”
Owen will spend the fall 2025 semester studying abroad at Oxford University in England. The humanities-oriented classes he takes there won’t support his major degree requirements but will diversify his overall academic and career preparation. Accounting majors are required to complete at least one internship during their undergraduate experience, and Owen has already secured a highly sought-after position at one of the Big Four accounting firms, KPMG. He will complete the internship in summer 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I applied to well over 40 places and got more than 30 rejections without even an interview,” Owen reflects. “It was a bit soul-crushing to get the rejections; you start thinking you’re not good enough. But my interview with KPMG was totally different. It wasn’t just about them thinking I could do the work; I felt valued as a person too.”
Owen has profited from more time for social and academic activities than what is typically possible for an accounting major. He added a Spanish minor and has continued to work as a library services assistant in Benner Library — a job he started three years ago as an Early Scholar. He also works as a lifeguard at the Perry Student Life and Recreation Center.
“Working on campus in addition to taking classes and balancing high school requirements was a huge step up in time management for me,” Owen says. “I had to really learn how to prioritize things and when to make sacrifices with time or opportunities. Fortunately, all of my teachers, professors and coaches were really understanding and supported me.”
Reflecting on the opportunities that have already been afforded to him in his three years as an Olivet student and looking forward to more to come, Owen encourages others to see the value in the Early Scholars program.
“Why not?” he says. “Try it out at least for a semester. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.”
For more information about the Early Scholars Program, contact Tiffany Holohan at tmholohan@olivet.edu.
