By Denai Ivery
When someone says the word “success”, most people think of fame and riches or having a million followers on TikTok. Most people don’t think of the success that can be found in school, like good grades and new friends.
That’s what my success was, and ASU Prep Digital helped me find that.
My first day at ASU Prep Digital was in January of 2021, around the height of Covid. I had just transferred from the online learning my old school had thrown together, as it was really messy and disorganized and I needed something more stable.
Public school was something I had always struggled with. I was one of the kids who “had potential and just didn’t apply it”, as teachers described it. I struggled with focusing and staying on task, and help was very rarely available when I needed it. I often relied on my parents to keep me on track and help me with the work I didn’t understand, and all of it was very stressful for an ten year old.
My parents had found out about ASU Prep Digital through a friend’s parents, and they first signed up my sister. My sister excelled in the program, and the next semester, they decided to sign me up.
I soon found a system that worked for me. The work was challenging, but I enjoyed the flexibility that came with being able to create my own schedule and work at my own pace. I still have issues with focusing and staying on task to this day, but ASU Prep Digital provided an environment where help is always available.
A couple years later, my first year of high school approached. I was doing well in academics, however I was struggling socially and didn’t have any friends.
As my parents were looking for in person schools for my sister and I to go to, they came across the MiX Center, an ASU college campus in Mesa that provided a hybrid program (half online and half in person) and specializes in film and cinematography.
I was extremely nervous to go back in person, since I hadn’t really socialized in years, and I was worried I wasn’t going to make any friends. However, my first day there, I knew I had found my place. I immediately made friends, and the program was so exciting and welcoming, exactly what I needed to help me succeed.
I’m extremely grateful for ASU Prep Digital and their part played in my social and academic success, and I’m excited to see the successes it provides for other people.
