High school is a time for students to begin discovering who they are and exploring what they’re passionate about. For Olympia B., finding the right learning environment made all the difference.
Encouraged by her mom, Lita, Olympia enrolled in Visions Independent Study Academy during her freshman year after hearing about the positive experience of a former classmate.
“We came to learn that the program met all our needs most other programs couldn’t, and the positive testimonial that always stuck with us turned out to be nothing short of true, learned through many of our own experiences,” Lita shared.
Last month, Olympia proudly walked the stage at Visions’ early Class of 2026 graduation ceremony. Looking back on her time at Visions, she found a place where she could explore her passions, receive meaningful support, and build a strong foundation for her future.
Artwork created by Olympia
Since she was as young as 7, Olympia has always been passionate about art. While she often practiced art on her own outside of school, Visions gave her the opportunity to explore it in new ways through personalized learning.
For her Directed Project elective, Olympia chose to expand her knowledge of art and challenge herself creatively. “I chose art as my directed project because it was something I was already familiar with and there were areas of art I didn’t particularly like learning in my free time,” she explained. “To have it be a class was a great push for me.”
Earlier in her high school journey, Olympia also took an art elective that helped deepen her understanding of the subject. “I learned so much about art history and how many styles and eras came to be,” she shared. Her mom, Lita, saw firsthand how these opportunities helped Olympia grow.
“Visions created the safe space for my daughter to succeed by finding her own pathway while being 100% supported by her teacher as well as everyone on board,” Lita said.
Olympia fondly recalls the support she received to express herself and become the person she is today while at Visions. “My relationship with my teacher, Ms. Yusta, was one of the best,” she explained. “I was never scared to ask questions when it came to her, and she’s by far one of the best teachers I’ve had in my 14 years of schooling!”
Olympia and her friend, Anahi, at graduation
Outside of her coursework, Olympia discovered the power of community through Visions events and activities. “The events provided by Visions were always a great opportunity to spend time with my friend, Anahi, another student in my class,” she expressed. Looking back, she only wishes she had gotten involved even earlier. “In my first two years I wasn’t as involved in events as I wish I had been, but my last two years were full of fun.”
To boost accessibility and help connect more students to events, Visions partners with transportation provider HopSkipDrive. Olympia expressed her gratitude for this support, sharing, “as someone who couldn’t get as far as the events often were, it was such a blessing to not simply be disregarded and left out of the community.”
For Olympia and her family, the sense of community at Visions became one of the most meaningful parts of the experience. “Visions is a community just as much as it is a school. It’s a community who cares for and supports each and every one of their students individually, never letting a single one go unnoticed academically or mentally.”
That sense of care was especially evident during Olympia’s graduation ceremony. After a last-minute transportation mix-up, Visions staff worked quickly to ensure Olympia’s mom could still attend and watch her walk across the stage.
Olympia her mom, Lita, at graduation
“It was by far one of the craziest things that’s happened in my life, with every single staff member working together to make sure this was a good experience for everyone involved,” she explained. “I can’t thank the Visions staff enough for the lengths they went to in making sure my mother was there to watch me walk the stage at graduation.”
Looking toward her future, Olympia plans to pursue a career in child-care, exploring different avenues including elementary education, after-school program instruction, and nannying. During her time at Visions, she has built a foundation for these aspirations by taking a child development course.
“I’d love nothing more than to positively influence the future of humanity, make individual children’s lives better, and just spend my time around such joy and innocence,” Olympia expressed.
For current and future Visions students, she encourages them to take advantage of the opportunities available. “With the amazing staff, the events with so much thought put into them, the electives provided, the semesterly budget for school supplies. It’s something not every student gets to experience, I’d argue most don’t get such amazing treatment.”
As she begins her next chapter, Olympia carries with her not only the skills she gained at Visions, but also the community that supported her every step of the way.
