GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 6, 2023 - National Heritage Academies is proud to celebrate the achievements of its 2023 graduates as they embark on the next chapter in their educational journey: college.

Stories of courage and perseverance abound as these promising young students lean on the Moral Focus virtues infused in everyday life at their schools. They use these character-based principles as a guide to tackle challenges before them and thrive academically and socially. Read their stories below.

Arbor Prep Graduate Goes Outside Her Comfort Zone by Volunteering
Decaying information retention and social skills were two major hurdles confronting students during the COVID-1s9 pandemic. Onyx Ali found herself with both of those challenges to overcome when she went back to school in-person at Arbor Preparatory High School for her junior and senior years.

Her answer? Get outside of her comfort zone.

"I said yes to things that I normally wouldn't," said Ali, who will attend the University of Michigan. "If people needed a volunteer for anything, I said, 'I'll do it' and just doing those types of things to get out of my comfort zone."

Canton Prep Students Get Head Start on College
What started as an excellent opportunity for driven students to earn an associate degree with one extra year of school has morphed into something quite unexpected at Canton Preparatory High School.

In a first for the school, 21 scholars, all part of the Early College program, graduated with their associate degree and their high school diploma at the same time instead of adding another year of learning beyond high school. Leave it to students to figure out a way to maximize their potential in the shortest amount of time possible.

"They're very motivated," said Mira Al-Mahayni, the school's college and career readiness counselor. "Many of them would take their college classes and then come back to school and take part in high school sports, and clubs, a job. I believe they have ownership of their learning."

Grand River Prep Grad Benefits from Connecting with Teachers
Talk to Brianna Arvizu for a few minutes and you'll quickly learn about her passion for connection. The recent Grand River Preparatory High School graduate values human interaction and tries to find good in everyone she interacts with. She also made it clear the connection between a teacher and student is as important as ever.

Arvizu found her love of psychology through a connection with teacher Jayme McWain. She also learned the benefit of pushing through tough times, even when you don't feel like it.

"I don't think I would have done it if it wasn't for her pushing me. I just love how she was always there for students, and she believes in her students, that we're capable of doing so much more than we think. I just love her."

PrepNet Virtual Academy Provides Necessary Connection with Instructors
Students struggled to learn throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and many found themselves stuck in a virtual world without the support they needed. That was the case for Ariauna Black until she found a new path forward with PrepNet Virtual Academy. Black is about to graduate and credits her success largely to her move to PrepNet.

What was lacking at her previous school, she realized, was one-on-one time with her teachers. She needed a new experience with the convenience of virtual with that support system in place.

"With PrepNet, it was already prepared to be virtual, so I knew what I was getting into," she said. "I didn't know if it was going to be as much work as that other school, but I knew that they would be prepared because it was already a virtual school. They were set up to be virtual."

Student, Mother Find 'Village' of Support at Taylor Prep
Camajah Moore-Harris came to Taylor Exemplar Academy on a 504 plan to accommodate her educational needs. Now, she is graduating as an honor student at Taylor Preparatory High School.

Her mother, Cortisha Moore, credits the support and attentiveness of the teachers and staff at Taylor for helping Camajah's growth and educational success. That support can include small group instruction, tests being read aloud, and help putting together a senior portfolio. Through professional development and regular meetings, the staff at Taylor Prep constantly is looking for new innovative practices for each student's needs.

"We needed a village and Taylor Exemplar became that support system, understanding our needs and letting me know Camajah was in good hands," Moore said.

Westfield Prep Grad Plans to Help on Basketball Court, as a Nurse

Helping others came natural to Kaylin Moorehead. Whether she was dishing assists on the basketball court or setting up a school event, she was always helping Westfield Preparatory High School.

Moorehead, one of Westfield Prep's most recent graduates, isn't planning on getting rid of that character trait any time soon. She led the team to a regional championship in March as a part of the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Tournament. Her hard work and integrity led her to a full-ride basketball scholarship at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies