When Ellie C. moved back to California three years ago, she faced an unexpected challenge: missing the enrollment deadline for the traditional public school in her area. Looking for an alternative, her family discovered Visions and enrolled her in the Independent Study Academy.
“It was supposed to be for only a year and then I would go back to public school,” Ellie explained. “But I enjoyed Independent Study so much that I didn’t have the heart to leave.”
For Ellie, the flexibility of Independent Study has been life-changing. “It works for me because I get to do my assignments when I want to. It benefits my workload and stress levels a lot as a student with other things to do,” she said.
This structure allows her to balance her academics with her other commitments and passions.
Another highlight of Ellie’s Visions journey has been the strong connections she’s built with her teachers and counselors.
“My relationship with my teachers and counselors [is] amazing,” she shared. “I would like to give a shoutout to [my teacher] Leslie Simpson. I met her at an end of year event and hit it off immediately. I would also like to shout out [counselors] Rija Gorkhali and Estrella Rosales; they both helped me with my colleges and were just there when I needed some help with my personal life.”
Miss Gorkhali describes Ellie as a “model Independent Study student,” praising her self-awareness, strong academic performance, and ambitious goals. Those big goals include college and a career in health sciences—a passion that is already shaping her academic path.
While completing high school, Ellie is also taking college courses through Sierra College in psychology and health, which align with her love for human anatomy. She has even joined the Career Technical Education (CTE) health pathway at Visions to deepen her knowledge.
Her enthusiasm for anatomy runs deep—so deep that she has four bone models in her bedroom: a spine, skull, hand, and foot, which she affectionately named Vert, Crane, Carl, and Tala.
Looking ahead, Ellie plans to continue her education and pursue a career in phlebotomy, with an eye on becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
When asked what advice she’d give to other Visions students, Ellie’s answer was simple: “Do your work.”
