Class Acts of 2014: Early Graduate is a Product of Educational Freedom

This series, Class Acts of 2014, features inspiring online education graduates with promising futures and showcases how individualized, award-winning curriculum and technology enabled these students’ success.

Dominique had always been an advanced learner, and even qualified to skip kindergarten.  Her mom, Nikki, was a teacher, and would often bring classroom ideas home. “I’ve always tried to relieve the pressure she put on herself,” Nikki says. “She has always been a perfectionist, so anytime I could make homework feel like a game, it alleviated her stress.”

That all changed when Dominique’s family moved to Washington. The brick and mortar school in her district had a much larger student population than she was used to, and they were unable to accommodate her as an advanced learner.  That meant class sizes were bigger, and she wasn’t getting the education she needed and deserved.

Something had to be done.

Dominique and her family found their solution with online education in K12’s Washington Virtual Academies where she was able to reclaim her educational freedom. She excelled in math and science courses, and found her government and politics class to be particularly “eye opening.” She started taking high school courses in eighth grade, and says she “really cared about her grades.” She continued setting goals for herself, and achieving them.

Nikki was an advocate for her daughter, and says that “online school gave her flexibility and allowed her to foster her independence. She enjoyed being able to go ahead in lessons and plan which lessons to complete first.  She appreciated not having to do busy work if a teacher wasn’t available or having to suffer through disruptive student behavior. She just wanted to focus on her work while at school, and online school gave her that opportunity. It really was the best schooling choice for her.”

Dominique flourished, to say the least. So much so, that she is not only graduating with high honors, but she’s an early graduate, and is finishing her high school career as a Junior.

Not only does Dominique say that the “coursework taught her organization,” but she is also prepared for her future by “navigating the online world.”

Although Dominique does not have immediate plans for next year, she does plan on going to college and dreams of becoming an actress.

Have more questions for this graduate? Send them to social@k12.com