Cleveland State Community College students, Miles Gilliam and Trevor Freitas, have ambitious goals for their futures – one as a surgeon and the other as an aerospace engineer.

This year, they serve as the Student Senate leaders for the college.

Mr. Gilliam, a homeschool student from Polk County, serves as the Student Senate president, while Mr. Freitas, a Bradley Central High School student, serves as vice-president. Both participate in the Tennessee Valley Early College program at Cleveland State and will earn their associate degrees in May, just before graduating from high school.

TVEC is a partnership between the college and local school systems that allow students to earn college credit while completing their high school diplomas.

Students begin taking college credit courses during their freshman and sophomore years of high school and transition to traditional college coursework on Cleveland State’s campus during their junior and senior years.

Mr. Gilliam is a biology major who plans to transfer to a four-year university and pursue a medical degree, with the goal of becoming a surgeon. Along with serving on the Student Senate, he is a member of the Multicultural Club and the Debate Team at the college, and plays basketball for the Cleveland Christian School.

“Since I was homeschooled, the social aspect at the college has been great for me,” Mr. Gilliam said. “I also really enjoy being able to start on my college degree now so that when I go to a university, I can be more specialized and focused on what I want to do.”

Mr. Freitas remains active at Bradley Central High School through the Beta Club and National Honor Society. At Cleveland State, he participates in the Multicultural Club and STEM Club. A university parallel major, he plans to study aerospace engineering at a four-year university.

“I’m hoping to transfer to Georgia Tech,” Mr. Freitas said. “It’s a top five aerospace program; I would be honored to go there next. After college, I’d like to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If not, just working at NASA or SpaceX would be awesome. I want to help advance space exploration.”

The Student Senate plays an important role in campus life, hosting student events and providing opportunities for students to volunteer and get involved at the college. The senate meets twice amonth and is open to all students who want to participate.

"We are proud to have Miles and Trevor serving as student leaders while also being students in the TVEC program,” Natalia Williams, director of Student Engagement and Support, said. “Their commitment to leadership, service and student engagement reflects the strong potential of our students and the value of providing opportunities for them to make a meaningful impact on campus."

Mr. Gilliam and Mr. Frietas were members of Student Senate last year and encourage others to get involved at the college.

“I like being part of the college community and getting to know faculty and students,” Mr. Gilliam said. “I felt that joining student government was one of the easiest ways to be connected and make a difference.”

Mr. Frietas adds, “I wanted to get more involved at the college, so I ran for vice president. I’ve made a lot of good friends, and I’ve gotten a head start on college.”