Garrett Zanin: The Art of Dual Enrollment

Garrett Zanin, currently in his senior year at South Carroll High School, had good reason to dually enroll in art classes at Carroll Community College.

The aspiring illustrator had exhausted all of the art classes he wanted to take at South Carroll and desired to take more before starting full-time college. “I would have had to take multiple science, math and history courses to fill up the holes in my (high school) class schedule,” Zanin explains. “I knew that if I settled with that choice, I wouldn’t have enjoyed my year, nor would I have spent my time wisely.” 

He believes there are many additional benefits of dual enrollment, including the opportunity to meet new people. ”The faculty/staff at Carroll Community, as well as the students, are of a great variety,” said Zanin. “It’s interesting, from a high schooler’s perspective, that everyone enrolled is attempting to go somewhere with their lives. And the staff is always there to help along the way.”

Dually enrolling at Carroll was an extremely helpful experience.

Zanin’s inspiration for his art comes from such disparate areas as medieval times, video games and Impressionism. His pen drawing skills in particular came in handy when his design won Carroll’s 2017 greeting card competition.“It was a great feeling winning the contest,” he said. “I had no idea that I would be featured in the Carroll County Times, nor the College’s social media page. It was a wonderful opportunity.”

Upon graduating from South Carroll, Zanin plans to attend an art college, transferring over the credits he has earned at Carroll Community College. After that, he hopes to launch a career in illustration.

“Dually enrolling at Carroll was an extremely helpful experience,” Zanin said. “If you feel you want a more concentrated set of classes for your intended future major, it doesn’t hurt to see what Carroll Community has to offer.”