When Kelvin Henry learned he could get a free college degree during his high school experience, he jumped at it. The 2025 Westfield Preparatory High School graduate joined the Early Middle College Program and will walk away with not only a high school diploma but an associate’s degree.
The program, which requires an additional year of schoolwork, is setting Henry up for success for a career in cyber security. He’s taken college courses at Wayne County Community College and is interested in keeping companies and their data secure.
Henry’s academic prowess at Westfield Prep began early on. He was identified as a high achiever in math, which allowed him to be placed in algebra and geometry classes two grades ahead. One of his favorite classes was a survey of college math where he learned real-life skills such as accounting and money management.
His survey of college math class wasn’t the only one to spark Henry’s interest. With the wide-ranging variety of classes available at Westfield Prep, he was able to take film participation, a class Henry said he looks back fondly on.
“It was amazing to have variety,” Henry said. “We would watch movies and afterwards, we would have to critique it and describe each actor’s performance and point out the positives and negatives of the movie.”
Henry’s participation wasn’t limited to the classroom. He was a part of the Maniac Mechanics’ Tiny House Project the school worked on last year, where Henry and his classmates learned the basics of constructing a home and were able to build a tiny house.
Henry took those skills and put them to use, helping others with small projects around the house. He said while he was glad to learn those skills, he also learned about being a part of a team.
“My teamwork skills got better because we had to cooperate to build these things,” Henry said. “Everybody has to be on the same page and know what to do.”
Another highlight of Henry’s high school experience included trips to two foreign countries. He went to Egypt and the Dominican Republic with some of his classmates for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. While there, he learned about each country and their cultures while touring for a week.
But perhaps Henry’s biggest takeaway from his time at Westfield Prep was his personal growth. Beginning at the school as a seventh-grader, Henry said he was hesitant to be outgoing and talk to his fellow classmates. A former principal helped him out of his shell, and credited the school for helping him grow.
“I’m pretty quiet now, but in middle school, I didn’t talk to anybody,” Henry said. “I wasn’t lonely. I just didn’t talk to anybody. Now I’m more social and not as much of an introvert.”
Congrats, Kelvin! Best of luck!
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About Westfield Preparatory High School
Westfield Preparatory High School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Redford, Michigan, serving students in seventh through 12th grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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