Paola
High School Student
Sometimes a not-so-good experience can make you appreciate a good experience even more. Paola is an active, enthusiastic, motivated student who was not satisfied with the brick-and-mortar schools she attended for many years. She knew she needed something different. “After researching many online schools,” she says, “Inspire Connections Academy stood out the most.”
A Welcome Change
The more Paola learned about the school, the more impressed she was. “The program is set up for you to succeed,” she says. The reason? The men and women who comprise the Inspire Connections Academy faculty. “The teachers and counselors are always there to help students,” she says.
This represents a stark difference from the experience at her previous school. “The staff and admin there were not the nicest towards the students,” Paolo recalls. “They would not help students to the extent they needed.” Her experience at Inspire Connections Academy is “the opposite of that,” she says. “There is always someone to help you with anything.”
As Paola researched online schools, there was another important consideration – and perhaps a surprising one: the in-person graduation ceremony at Inspire Connections Academy. Though Paola is committed to online learning, she felt that there is something about a traditional ceremony that feels appropriate for one of life’s defining moments. “I wanted to walk across a stage,” she says.
“There is always someone to help you with anything.”
— Paola
Chocolate-covered Strawberries
Inspire Connections Academy offers a significantly more flexible curriculum than Paola’s previous traditional school. To a large degree, she can set her own schedule. She has taken advantage of that flexibility to start a small treat-making business. “I sell chocolate-covered strawberries, pretzels, cake pops, breakable hearts, and cookies,” she says.
Once she graduates from Inspire Connections Academy, Paola will be attending the College of Southern Idaho. She plans to enroll in the dental hygiene program, with an eye toward a career as a dental care professional. And if she still is running her treat-making business, perhaps she’ll be motivated to offer sugar-free alternatives!
