Homeschool Graduate 2021!

I’m very proud to announce a second homeschool graduate! My daughter just completed high school and a year at the local community college. She has been accepted into a four year college with an impressive STEM scholarship. She plans to major in computer science and minor in music.

Developmental challenges. Delayed speech, a speech impediment, and maturity issues compelled us to red-shirt her. We decided in advance to do kindergarten twice but at different schools and add speech therapy. This plan proved effective. Our daughter overcame her speech issues and gained the skills necessary to succeed at first and second grades in a private school. She never let this early-life struggle define or confine her.

Homeschool. At the end of second grade, we decided to homeschool all three of our children. The choice was based on the benefits that homeschool could offer: great academics and time to develop passions.

Crochet. Reducing the school day did indeed allow for passions to be pursued. At the age of 9 she began learning crochet basics from her grandmother. To date, she has written over 100 unique crochet patterns for amigurumi animals and such. She submits her work to the state fair each year and has won best of show three times. She has a passion for crocheting gifts for family members for special occasions. To share this passion, she has created a blog site with crochet tips, patterns, and inspiration on how to come up with gift ideas. http://lollysloopycreatures.com/

Music. She chose the cello in the first grade and has worked her way up through local competitive orchestras. She has interned with the Triangle Youth Philharmonic Association for three years gaining experience in videography and photography. Besides performing, she has a great passion for music composition. She began composing music in the second grade and has now composed over 100 pieces most of which are posted on Sound Cloud .

Her skills were enriched by taking summer music theory and music composition courses at a local college. Recently for a fundraiser she arranged the Mandalorian theme song for four cellos and a violin. She video recorded herself playing each cello piece and her sister playing the violin piece. The pieces were orchestrated into one. Each player was wearing a costume of a character in the show. The music and video editing were truly amazing.

Hard work. Our daughter earned 36 college credits through CLEP testing starting in the 8th grade. She also earned 24 credits at the community college in her senior year. She took three years of German language through an excellent and gracious instructor in the community and was able to pass the German CLEP as well as test out of the foreign language requirement at her college. Her ACT scores were above 30. Applause for perseverance!

Community service. Our daughter is always willing to assist her friends and family. She graciously lends her creativity and knowledge of technology to those in need. She has volunteered her time at church events, played cello at nursing homes and weddings, and worked at concessions to earn money for missions. We can count on our Pixie Dust!

When opportunity and time meet up, a life can be defined.

Simulation and game development. During a coding course at a co-op in the seventh grade, a flame was ignited in our daughter. She began coding on her own with the goal of developing a game. This led to her gaining skills in 3-D modeling and animation through online tutorials. Her models are posted on Sketch Fab. To enrich her interest, she participated in game development and animation summer camps at a local college. During her senior year of high school, she enrolled in two SGD courses at the community college for credit. When opportunity and time meet up, a life can be defined.

Great journey. My husband and I are grateful that homeschool was possible for us. It has been an incredibly positive experience. We are thankful for the people in our community and church who encouraged, taught, and enlightened us through this journey. We thank God for granting us the privilege to raise this beautiful young lady.

Best of luck our sweet graduate! We are so proud of you!