Leena
Middle School Student
For many, diversity is about people’s different backgrounds. For Leena Aburahmeh, a seventh-grade student at Ohio Connections Academy, diversity means learning about different individuals — hearing about what they enjoy doing and understanding the unique viewpoints they bring to school discussions.
Finding Community and Growth
Leena switched to Ohio Connections Academy in 2019. She considers it the best decision she ever made.
Unlike her experience at a traditional public school, Leena has found her Connections Academy® peers to be well behaved, respectful, and patient. Because Ohio Connections Academy is a statewide school, students are significantly more diverse than those at her former school. Leena enjoys learning about the lives of students from other places and backgrounds. She especially appreciates the different viewpoints they bring to class discussions. In response, “she is kind and courteous, offering polite feedback to classmates in chat,” reports her teacher, Ms. Tallet.
Leena also likes that her Connections Academy peers have activities that are different from her own. As for Leena’s extracurricular activities, she enjoys art and is passionate about music. She plays several instruments, including the electric guitar.
“My years at Connections Academy have been wonderful,” Leena says.
At [Ohio Connections Academy,] I have a sense of belonging and have made many . . . memories that I will cherish forever.
— Leena