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Clark State CCP Program Set the Foundation for Harvard Graduate, Dr. Megan Mefford

Clark State CCP Program Set the Foundation for Harvard Graduate, Dr. Megan Mefford

October 27, 2021

Dr. Megan Mefford, a 1992 graduate of Urbana High School in Champaign County, Ohio, holds a PhD from Harvard University, but she credits the Post Secondary Education Option (PSEO)through Clark State College for guiding her in selecting her educational path.

As a senior in high school, Mefford, now a lecturer for the College of Pharmacy and Division of Pharmacy Education & Innovation at The Ohio State University, was able to take college courses at Clark State. Now known as College Credit Plus (CCP), the PSEO opportunity allowed Mefford to explore many options before deciding on a college major.

The CCP program allows students to earn college credits while in high school, all for free. Students can enroll in courses at Clark State and receive credit for high school requirements and for college credit. These credits may be used at Clark State or for transfer to the college or university of choice after high school graduation. This state-funded program covers tuition, books and fees.

“We were the first class that could take college classes while we were in high school,” said Mefford. “It was amazing. They paid for all of our textbooks. I took psychology and sociology and all these fun classes.”

Mefford was able to transfer the credits she earned at Clark State to Ohio State and enter the college as a sophomore. She earned a bachelor of science in microbiology, with a minor in zoology in just three years.

Mefford now encourages high school students to pursue the opportunity to learn through CCP courses. She said CCP offered her a chance to explore areas of study and really think about what she wanted to do without the expense of an additional year of college.

“It’s how I chose what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” she said. “I thought I wanted to major in psychology or music, but I took biology at Clark State…my professor was enthusiastic and amazing. I loved it! The first time we did labs I decided, ‘This is it! This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”

Following her graduation from Ohio State, Mefford worked in research laboratories around Ohio and then went on to earn her Master’s of Science in public health in tropical medicine at Tulane University. Following her graduation from Tulane, Mefford was accepted into Harvard University and earned a PhD in virology in 2012.

“Beyond teaching undergraduate and graduate students full time (at Ohio State), I’m also course director for our undergraduate writing course (Drug Use in American Culture), which is focused on topics like cannabis legalization and the opioid epidemic,” said Mefford.

Mefford is also endorsed by The Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning at the Ohio State University.

“The education I got at Clark State was fantastic,” said Mefford. “It set the foundation for everything else I did.”

Media Contact

Lori Common Communications Coordinator

937.328.6086 commonl@clarkstate.edu