Shay’s family began looking for alternative schooling options when the pressure of the Gifted and Talented program at her bricks-and-mortar school became too overwhelming. She also wasn’t getting enough sleep and was having trouble in her math class. Now, at Colorado Connections Academy, Shay is excelling at math and has the flexibility to sleep in when needed. Shay usually finishes her schoolwork around 2 p.m., and volunteers at the local Humane Society once a week. She works at her dad’s office two days a week as well.

At Connections Academy, Shay has the freedom to set her own schedule. When she is finished with her schoolwork, she dedicates her time to working on her biggest passion—special effects makeup. Shay watches videos of special effects artists several times a week, and even creates her own tutorials on YouTube. Outside of school, she also hosts sleepovers with her friends, where they watch scary movies and do each other’s makeup. After networking with other effects makeup artists, Shay hopes to attend a monster makeup course.