Guided by our mission to know Truth, Pursue Wisdom, and Serve Jesus, Cedar Ridge Christian School seeks to equip students to grow academically, spiritually, and personally. As the head of school, I get to have a front row seat to the transformative impact that families experience by being able to choose the right environment for their children.
School wasn’t always a place where I felt safe or settled. Each day felt like a challenge. I wasn’t in an environment where I was known or supported in the ways that I needed as a child. Half way through my sixth-grade year, after a serious incident on the bus left me injured and temporarily blind in one eye, it became clear that something needed to change. That’s when I transferred to a nearby nonpublic school.
That decision didn’t just improve my experience in school—it changed the trajectory of my life.
I was now in a place where I was seen, supported, and able to grow in confidence. School became less about surviving the day and more about discovering who I was becoming.
A scholarship made it possible for me to continue that journey through high school. That experience shaped who I am today by giving me a foundation of confidence, a deeper sense of identity, and a faith that continues to guide me. That only makes my role at Cedar Ridge Christian so much more meaningful to me. I know first-hand the impact that the right school has on a student.
Each week, I see students and families walking through our doors with stories that feel familiar. I see students who need something different and families who are searching for the right fit for their child.
At my school and at schools across Iowa, Education Savings Accounts are making it possible for more families to pursue that kind of opportunity. I see firsthand what happens when families are given choice. Students begin to grow in confidence, families find alignment, and schools are able tofully partner with parents in shaping the whole child.
Today, I have the privilege to walk alongside families looking for that same kind of hope I was once searching for. I see students sitting in the same place I once was, looking for an environment where they can thrive and I see families now able to make the kind of choice that changes everything.
