I believe in self-directed learning. My unique schooling experiences have had an incredible impact on who I am today. My schooling background includes going to public school, being homeschooled, a school dedicated to self-initiated learning, charter school, and eventually dropping out of high school. I then went to community college at sixteen and am now attending Colorado State University with a clear path towards veterinary medicine.
I believe my non-traditional education has given me a fresh perspective on learning. I know what “I want to be when I grow up," whereas many of my peers aren’t sure. Not being forced to learn things I was uninterested in for my entire childhood gave me an opportunity to think for myself. My parents played an incredible role by giving me their trust and support to make these important decisions on my own.
Though we were not farmers, it was important to my family to be connected to nature and the outdoors. I grew up on thirteen acres with a pond, five cows, donkeys next door, and an abundance of Texas wildlife. My dad enjoyed hunting and fishing, and he would sometimes shoot snakes and predatory birds that would eat the stocked fish from the pond. Always having an interest in biology, I was fascinated with getting a closer look at these animals that you would only see a fleeting glimpse of normally. My parents noticed my captivation with the anatomy of the animals and, being homeschooled, they encouraged me to perform a dissection. One time, my father shot a snake thinking it was venomous. During the dissection we found another snake inside of it--a highly poisonous water moccasin--which taught us that the type of snake he shot was actually beneficial to have around. Another time, he shot a couple of cormorant birds that were eating many of the stocked fish. I was engrossed with the internal anatomy of the birds, just as I had been with the snake.
When I attended The Brazos Valley Sudbury School I was allowed to decide what I wanted to learn, when, and how. I spent a lot of time researching the perfect environment for a tropical fish tank we had, as part of a school club that focused on living plants and animals. Being a part of the club, combined with my homeschooling experiences, I discovered I wanted to work with animals forever. Being able to work outside and with animals allowed me to further develop my passion.
I would not be the passionately curious person that I am today if I had attended a traditional school my whole life. Many children spend a large portion of their adolescence in the classroom, being told what to do, when to talk, what to think, and what’s important in life, like cattle through a shoot, but because I was allowed to freely explore my interests through self-directed learning, I have found my calling and am well on my way.
