BHS Class of 2022 graduate Chase Beams in front of his home.
Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
BLACKSBURG – Chase Beams, Blacksburg High School Class of 2022 alumnus, recently graduated from the University of Alabama after just two years and will begin his master’s degree at Virginia Tech in the fall.
Beams took multiple AP courses and dual-enrollment courses while enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools, which he attributes to his success. He began taking advanced classes as early as eighth grade, starting with a Precalculus and Trigonometry class. From then forward, Beams took math, history, english and economics courses while still completing the standard high school curriculum. During the summer in between his high school graduation and starting at University of Alabama, he took courses through New River Community College.
In terms of his success, Beams highlighted how many opportunities Blacksburg High School and New River Community College offered him, and their current students, to advance and tackle some of those college credits.
Beams graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He achieved Summa Cum Laude at graduation, the highest honors with a 4.0 grade point average. He was on the President’s List every semester as well as Accounting Society Honors. Before beginning at the University of Alabama, Chase Beams was a National Merit Finalist and received the National Merit Scholarship which paid full tuition and housing for Beams in Alabama. He will begin an accounting internship with Ernest and Young within the next few weeks and is set to begin his master’s degree in accounting at Virginia Tech with a graduate assistantship.
“I am very goal-oriented more than method oriented,” Beams said. “I put a lot of work in towards my goals. It is important, for this kind of thing, to have a clear path set out.”
Beams says he hopes to pass the CPA exam while he’s completing his master’s degree and stay with an accounting firm for a while before going to get his Ph.D in accounting and become a professor like his father.
Beams’ advice for current Montgomery County Public School students is to remind them they can take AP and dual-enrollment classes from any Montgomery County School or New River Community College, if they want to.
“You can start as early as you want to, depending on your goals,” Beams said, “If you’re in high school, you don’t have to take every AP class and stress yourself out about the future, but if you’re someone who wants to graduate early, you can take AP tests and classes. You can get college credit.”