When I discovered Davidson Academy Online, I thought it had everything I was looking for in a school. During my time here, it has only exceeded my expectations!
I love all of my classes this year: from Advanced Rhetoric, where we’re running an election as the candidates we created, to Linear Algebra, the reason why I now plan to major in math.
Another notable mention is Classical Chinese (a historical, literary version of Mandarin that’s practically another language), which is basically three hours a week of solving puzzles in the form of translating sentences and in my opinion couldn’t be more fun. I’m also a Word Nerd in DAO’s Writing Center–an amazing resource where experienced writing students provide peer feedback for other DAO and Explore students. Similar mentoring centers exist for STEM subjects, Spanish, and Chinese. Last year I was the Writing Center’s student leader, something that pre-DAO me, who avoided writing at all costs, would never have believed. Through every course I’ve taken, attending DAO has challenged me in the best ways.
Something else that makes DAO unique is the flexibility it provides. This school year, I have been gaining DAO science credit by working in a chemistry lab at UCSD, a nearby university. I’m not sure this would have been an option at a school without DAO’s personalized curriculum pathways. Beyond class subjects, I also participate in a wide range of extracurriculars, from science advocacy to researching computational biology to practicing the martial art aikido. DAO’s block schedule, and the way homework is assigned a week in advance rather than by day, has given me a degree of control over my time that makes this all possible.
While I love many aspects of DAO, my favorite part is my fellow students. DAO’s culture isn’t about comparing grades or being competitive: instead, we’re motivated by our joy in learning. My friends and I agree that this is the first place we’ve never minded group projects, because every classmate is genuinely interested in contributing! At in-person meetups, everyone I meet quickly becomes a friend, even if we’ve never shared a class before. I think that encapsulates the welcoming community of DAO well, as a place where everyone is free to express themselves and be appreciated as the interesting people we are.
DAO is a special place, and I’m so glad I found it. There is nowhere else I’d rather have experienced high school, and I hope new students are able to enjoy it as much as I have.
– Lucia, Davidson Academy Online Student
Adapted from a “Student to Student” profile originally shared in our newsletter. Subscribe >