How has informal education played a role in your academic success? by Nakeesha

How has informal education played a role in your academic success? by Nakeesha - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

Creativity has helped me in many ways, I really had to get creative when I was in middle school. I was diagnosed with thyroid Graves' disease after having radiation I now have Grave's disease with Hoshimoto's disease having these two together is a rare case. These two illnesses come with a lot of different symptoms however the ones that bother me the most are the anxiety, depression and insomnia. During my freshman year in high school my illness did make attending school very hard, I just could not function any longer with minimal sleep, or the abdominal pains I was getting.
I got creative when it came to getting my school work done. Most teachers posted class work on Google Classrooms, so I would do all my work via Google classroom, the ones who did not utilize it I would attend school for an hour or so in the morning a couple times a week if that. I would gather and turn in my school work then I would leave for the day and go home to do my work in the peace, quiet and comfort of my house. During this time, I was able to maintain a 3.8 GPA. This continued for the duration of my freshman year.
The local public school thought it was best for me to transfer to an online homeschooling program, where I worked all alone, essentially teaching myself. I had a full schedule instead of a one-hour long class, my classes were taking 3 to 4 hours each. I continued to work hard and maintain my 3.8 GPA. Only school was much harder than a normal class. This took a lot of dedication, organization and determination. I had to set up come up with a schedule that worked for me, doing work in between appointments and anytime I couldn’t sleep. I feel that me being creative on thinking outside the box to get my schooling completed has actually set me up for a brighter future.
Being able to think outside the box come up with my own plan and push through any issues has made me stronger. I have been able to get through college not allowing my illness to take me doing that path again.