As a recipient of the Opportunity Scholarship Program in North Carolina, I know firsthand how important it is to have options in education. For most of my academic journey, I attended private schools. However, during my junior year of high school, I moved to a public school, where I was able to experience the vast differences between the two systems.
During my first two years of private high school, I maintained high academic standards because of the close relationships I had with my teachers and the supportive environment created by my peers. I was surrounded by students my age who encouraged one another, not just academically, but also socially, to become the best versions of ourselves. This was possible thanks to the small class sizes, where each teacher understood my strengths and weaknesses and provided the guidance I needed to succeed. I gained not only a strong academic foundation but was also exposed to Christian values that helped shape my character into the man I am today.
My experience changed drastically when I transferred to a public school. There, I felt more like a number than a student with a name and potential. I didn’t feel connected to my teachers, and as a result, my academic performance suffered. I lost motivation to complete assignments or study for tests, and my social life, which became my top priority, led me down an unhealthy path. I felt disconnected, unmotivated, and misunderstood by a system that didn’t recognize how I learned best.
By the second semester, I knew I had to make a change. Using my scholarship, I returned to my private school. That decision helped me regain focus, rediscover my academic strengths, and reconnect with a learning environment that truly supported me.
As a student from an immigrant family and a member of a minority community, I’ve always known that education is my path forward to become the first college graduate in my family. School choice gave me the opportunity to pursue an education that met my individual needs, rather than being limited by my ZIP code or circumstances.
Today, I am a freshman at a prestigious college in North Carolina, pursuing a degree in psychology. My goal is to help other students and families, like mine, make the most of their opportunities and become the best versions of themselves. I will always be grateful for the freedom and support that school choice has given me, it truly changed the course of my life.
