This month, beginning with National Charter Schools Week, we will feature stories from charter school graduates from across the country. Check back every day to see a new student feature in our 30 Days of Grad series. The vision of Dove Science Academy, (DSA) in Oklahoma City is to provide students with a solid education within a healthy atmosphere. This vision led me to take a leap of faith and attend the school that ultimately prepared me for success. Before DSA, I attended one of the lowest-ranked schools in Oklahoma. After two years, my parents and I decided that it was time to pursue a school known for its excellence: Dove Science Academy. The moment I realized I was one of the eight people accepted into the Class of 2017, my mind was filled with ecstasy. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a challenging but life-changing experience.
During my first two years at Dove Science Academy, I was a difficult student. I would often get into trouble in class, and my grades were constantly falling. If it were not for the help of my teachers and administrators, I would have continued down the path I was taking. My administrators showed remarkable patience on my monthly, sometimes weekly, visits to their offices, and helped me figure out how I could fix the issues holding me back from reaching success. My teachers, also superhumanly patient, helped me build a sturdy foundation on all subjects, and played a vital role in the development of my current study habits. The staff at DSA has been remarkable, but they are not alone. There is one more component at Dove that completes it all: the community. The community at DSA – consisting of teachers, students, and parents – is the greatest I have ever been in contact with. DSA is a diverse, helpful, and caring community that should be a standard for schools—not only across the nation, but also across the globe. The group of people involved with Dove has helped me in a wide variety of manners. Its diversity has helped me not only form professional relationships, but also close bonds with people who are ideologically, economically, and ethnically different than myself. Dove has exposed me to a variety of cultures, and I have become associated with people and customs different than myself and my own. The care I have been shown by the community has also been remarkable. Despite most of the Dove community being low-income, they all donated to my recent GoFundMe page, helping me pay for a flight to summer camp at West Point. I was also helped during my college and military service academy applications. My time at Dove Science Academy has been incredible. I can wholeheartedly say that if I had not attended DSA, my life would be drastically different. When I received a call from Senator Inhofe stating I had been accepted to the United States Naval Academy, I celebrated with my two families: my blood family and school family. DOVE stands for Disciplined, Organized, Vigorous Education. These ideals have been instrumental in not only my academic success, but also my personal growth. I owe a lot to Dove, and I am glad I decided to take the leap of faith. [Click to Tweet]: This @DoveScience charter school student took a leap of faith and it’s leading to the Naval Academy #30DaysofGrad
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