Becoming Academically Excellent

From a young age, Ofelia Andring was taking school, and her future, seriously. For most of her academic career, she attended a private school. This meant smaller classes where she literally grew up with the same classmates from kindergarten to her freshman year. Because she was excelling, she was also put into high school-level classes when she was in middle school. She was curious about the world around her and she wanted to know more. 

Now a student with Yakima Online, Yakima School District’s fully-remote high school, Ofelia is able to explore more of what truly interests her. This includes her favorite subject, science.

“I have always found it fascinating to learn about how things work. For example, the formation of the Grand Canyon or the process of the Citric Acid Cycle in cellular respiration,” she said. “I think that actually being interested in what I'm learning is what inspires me to actively try to do well.”

But when it comes to what truly motivates her in school, she knows it’s more of an internal process. 

“Most of my inspiration comes from wanting to prove to myself that I am capable of being academically excellent.”

When someone is dedicated to achieving that excellence, how do they have time for anything else? That’s something Ofelia is admittedly still figuring out. One strategy that has helped her is keeping her schedule organized. Not only is it a priority to make time for schoolwork, but it’s also important to give herself the space for fun activities and relaxation in order to prevent burnout.

After graduating high school, Ofelia plans on earning her nursing license, ready to turn her passion for science and the world around her into a career as a travel nurse. She credits her decision to enroll in Yakima Online with helping her come to this decision, as it allowed her to explore different kinds of classes. Being able to speak with her teachers and counselors was also valuable when planning the steps needed to reach her goals.

Although she was adopted at a young age, Ofelia’s parents helped her find ways to connect to her heritage. One memorable experience was when they took her to South Dakota to see where her Native American tribe is from, inspiring an appreciation for the opportunities she’s had.

“I think seeing and learning about the things my tribe experienced and where they were now made me grateful,” she said. “It made me grateful for the opportunities that I have to better my life, when a lot of them never had, or ever will have, that opportunity.”