Gateway student to earn Polk State degree at just 15

At an age where most students are just beginning high school, one Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School student is set to earn a college degree.

At just 15 years old, Arielle Bonney will walk the RP Funding Center stage on Thursday morning to receive her Polk State Associate in Arts during the College’s 132nd commencement. Bonney is the youngest member of the graduating class.

“My parents always pushed me to try harder,” she said. “They pushed me to do the ACCEL (Polk County Public Schools’ Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning) program. That motivated me to go to Gateway. I’m very excited to be graduating.”

Bonney’s academic excellence was evident at a young age. She was reading before beginning kindergarten. In second grade, Bonney was often tasked by the teacher with helping her classmates with their work.

Through the ACCEL program, Bonney was able to get ahead in her schoolwork. According to the Polk County Public Schools website, it offers students in the 93rd percentile or higher challenging curriculum. Bonney was able to take high school classes in middle school.

“She’s always been a go-getter,” said mother Arthi Bonney, Learning Technologist at Gateway. “She’s been motivated to excel and get ahead.”

Gateway is one of Polk State’s three charter high schools along with Lakeland Collegiate High School and Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School. The collegiate high schools allow students to graduate with their high school diplomas, and in most cases, their Associate in Arts degrees at no cost to them.

Gateway accepts students in 11th and 12th grade who have at least 11 high school credits. To become eligible to enroll at Gateway, Bonney earned high school credits through Florida Virtual School. She enrolled at Gateway for the Fall 2023 Semester.

“School has always come easy to me,” Bonney said. “One thing I had to learn was how to communicate with my professors. Fortunately, I’ve had great professors who have made it easy.”

The youngest of three daughters, Bonney credits her parents, Dr. Derrien and Arthi Bonney, with instilling her with a strong work ethic and providing support. Her oldest sister, Imani, went on to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The middle sister, Nia Bonney, will graduate from Gateway this year with her Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management.

“My parents have always been a source of support for me,” Bonney explained. “They’ve helped with whatever I’ve needed.”

A member of National Honor Society at Gateway and Phi Theta Kappa at Polk State, Bonney is unsure of where she will attend next, but is considering psychology, business, and philosophy as potential majors. Wherever her next stop is, Bonney feels that Gateway prepared her to take that step.

“I chose Gateway because I felt that it would prepare me for college,” she reflected. “What stood out about my experience is how helpful everyone is. (School Counselor) Dr. (Renee) Portfilio has been very helpful with scheduling and the early graduation process.”

Despite being so young, Bonney has watched herself grow as a student over her two years at Gateway. She also offered advice for those considering Gateway or one of Polk State’s collegiate high schools.

“The curriculum wasn’t that hard, but procrastination was a struggle for me at first,” she recalled. “I tried my best to balance my coursework and not push everything back to the last minute. For people considering the collegiate high schools, I’d advise to take things at your own pace. Everything will work out as long as you take your time and get your work done.”