“I remember freshman year, sitting with friends at lunch and asking, ‘Why am I here? I could be out changing the world!” Kimberly Girkin, an 11th grade student at Laurel Springs, said, I felt stuck. I had heard of online schools, but I assumed that they weren’t very good.” Now in her second year as a student in Laurel Springs’ online high school, Kimberly found that Laurel Springs is a great community where she can pursue her interests—including business and entrepreneurship.
Find Your Drive, a website about Laurel Springs’ industry-focused curriculum pathways, lets students like Kimberly tap into her passions as she makes progress toward her ultimate career destination. The Business & Entrepreneurship option, which incorporates 21st-century skills like communication, leadership, and critical thinking into its curriculum, is a perfect fit for Kimberly’s goals of preparing for college and a fulfilling profession.
“I actually really loved my traditional public school and had a great experience there, but I also really love acting. With Laurel Springs, I’m pursuing a larger experience than what my traditional school could allow,” Kimberly said. “I help run my own acting career, I love to write, and I’m also big into environmentalism. All of that stuff can feel like a full time job for me. I work on email communications, submit myself for different acting jobs, stay in touch with my manager and agent, go to acting classes, and network with other actors—you have to keep yourself in the scene for this kind of work,” Kimberly reflected. “Online school has helped me do this without being tied down to a traditional high school schedule.”
A Foundation for the Future
How will Kimberly channel her knowledge from Laurel Springs courses into a career that’s centered on her passions? “I’m starting to realize that a lot of what I’m doing in school plays into my love for entertainment, so my love of environmental science and an interest in business might mean that I write the next big sci-fi franchise that’s going to change the world!” Kimberly added, “Everything I’m doing now is launching me into a life that will be full of all sorts of career paths. It’s all interconnected.”
Kimberly said she might want to “go into the business side of the environment,” explaining that she may want to work for an organization dedicated to environmental protection or conservation. She’s taking AP Environmental Science and has “looked at all the Laurel Springs elective courses—there’s lots to choose from! “I definitely want to take a business course and a personal finance course.”
For the moment, Kimberly is focused on her acting career, while staying on track for college. “I’m out in Los Angeles right now for my acting work, and I’ve been going on college tours while I’m here. USC is my top pick—I would love to go to the School of Cinematic Arts.” The college prep school program at Laurel Springs is key. “I’m taking tons of AP courses, and I’ve always taken the most challenging courses available to me. Laurel Springs is letting me do everything that colleges want.”
It’s hard to say whether Kimberly will be a screenwriter, actor, director, or producer, but what’s clear is that she’s committed to learning everything she can at Laurel Springs in order to be prepared for the future. “I couldn’t do any of this without online school!”
Want to know more about career-oriented learning pathways at Laurel Springs? Contact your Laurel Springs representative or our admissions team to explore our unique, online high school curriculum that honors the individual goals of each student.
