My school choice story begins earlier than most.
My parents chose to enroll in a private school when I was just five years old. From kindergarten through fourth grade, I grew up in a small private school environment where the classrooms were intimate, teachers knew every student by name, and curiosity was encouraged. We learned Spanish at a young age, participated in music and art, and were surrounded by educators who truly wanted their students to thrive.
My father, a police officer, worked early hours directing pedestrian traffic for the school so my brother and I could attend. For my parents, it was a sacrifice—but one they believed would give us opportunity.
Academically, the school was exceptional. Socially, however, fourth grade told a different story.
Most of the girls in my class had been together since infancy. Their families were close, their friendships already deeply rooted, and their social circle tightly closed. I remember standing near the playground blacktop while they formed their groups for recess games, quietly pretending not to notice when no one asked me to join. At birthday parties I wasn’t invited to, whispers would float through the classroom the following Monday, stories about sleepovers and inside jokes I didn’t understand. At lunch, seats would mysteriously fill before I arrived. Nothing dramatic, nothing loud, just the slow, quiet realization that I was always on the outside of a lifelong pack.
My parents saw that I wasn’t thriving socially, and they gave me something incredibly important: a choice.
After fourth grade, I transferred to public school. The transition opened doors I hadn’t known existed. In middle school, I applied to a magnet program focused on the arts. There, I discovered creative writing, studied the history of music, and traveled around the country performing in the choir.
In high school, I made another choice. Rather than attending the school my home was zoned for, I applied through Greenville County’s special permission program and was selected to attend another public school located next to the district’s Fine Arts Center.
The academic rigor pushed me further. I graduated high school with enough college credit to finish in three years and entered the workforce in Washington, D.C., at just 21 years old.
My story is not about one perfect school. It is about having the freedom to find the right one.
Because at every turning point in my education, my parents and I were able to choose. And without that freedom, my story, and the opportunities that followed would not be the same.
