Celine

High school was okay for a few years, but then I lost motivation to do the work. My father got sick when I was a Sophomore, and I took online courses so I could care for him and spend time with him. My mental health was low, and I couldn’t be in a classroom at that time.

I was behind my classmates, so as a senior I needed a lot of credits to graduate. My father passed away and it became too much for me. I failed everything. My guidance counselor told me that I could get my diploma through CVAE. I didn’t know what to think about it. I was struggling and was not motivated. I wanted to drop out altogether, but my mom and counselor kept pushing me, so I gave it a go. By the time I came to CVAE I had prepared myself enough to be in a mindset to get it done. I was ready and had everything planned. I knew what credits I needed to graduate and how I wanted to earn those credits. My CVAE teacher told me, “I’ve never met anyone this prepared,” and I got to follow my plan.

I thought CVAE was awesome. It made me excited to get my high school diploma. I got to learn things that I was interested in. For example, I had inherited a business, and I got to learn business accounting as a math credit. For my Health credit, I went to therapy and designed a weight-loss plan. To earn a science credit, I did a project on Equine Behavior and Equine-Assisted Therapy. These were all things that I was interested in and important in my life.

I was an awesome student in elementary school and loved to learn. By middle school, being in a traditional classroom hadn’t been going well, but I still did okay in school. It all caved in by 11th grade. I didn’t want to be in the building and couldn’t sit still in classes. I know I could have tried harder, but I didn’t have any desire. It’s interesting – school was a hard load for me, but learning was the easy part. The hard part was just being in the building. Being at CVAE allowed me to focus on learning. I was able to do most of my work at home and in the community. My teacher at CVAE had faith in me that I could get it done that way, and it was motivating.

I never had plans to go to college. I inherited a general store, which I managed for several years, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I stepped back from the store and I went to work on a farm. That showed me my passion was working with animals, which I find so fulfilling. I made a connection at a local veterinary hospital, and a few weeks later I was hired as a Veterinary Assistant. I love it. It’s challenging and rewarding, which is great for me. I’ve learned so much about medicine, which is an amazing opportunity for someone without a higher degree.

CVAE changed my life. I don’t think I would have been successful without it. First, I can put that I’m a high school graduate on my resume, which is very important. Second, it showed me that I could come out of a tough place and be successful. I wasn’t excited about going to CVAE at first, but that changed when I realized “I can.” I’m not sure what’s next. I would love to stay in veterinary medicine and I’m considering going back to school. I have options.

There was stigma around being in an adult ed program to finish high school, but it was best for me. I want to tell people that although it may not be ideal or what they pictured, it can be a really good thing.