Student Spotlights: Getting Your High School Diploma

Graduation is just a few months away, and to those of you who are graduating this semester, congratulations! Primavera is proud of your hard work and accomplishments.

We know graduating isn’t the easiest task. At times, that light at the end of the tunnel can seem like it’s not getting any closer, but we promise you that it is! Through Primavera, you can get your high school diploma, no matter your circumstances.

Ravyn Schmidt is a Primavera student who is only 17 and graduated last month! With the trials she had in her life, Ravyn had times where she felt like graduation was never going to happen, but in the end, she got her diploma and that’s why she’s April’s Student Spotlight.

Ravyn moved to Arizona in 2012 in September—far into the semester at a traditional high school. When she met with her guidance counselor at her high school, she was told she was was not going to be able to graduate on time.

“I had moved to Phoenix Labor Day of 2012 with my family of four and was set up to enroll…but I wasn’t able to register and also obtain credit for the work I would do for the first semester,” Ravyn said. “I got up out of the conference room and began to walk out just as the guidance counselor let me know that there were other options to obtain credit.”

For Ravyn, that other option was Primavera Online High School. The ability for Ravyn to stay at home would become more crucial to her just three months after switching as her “life began to fall apart,” as Ravyn said.

“I had to say goodbye to my grandfather who was on life support, but suddenly came back to after he had heard our voices,” said Ravyn.

Four-wheeling was one of Ravyn’s favorite hobbies, as is shown in the photo below. It was an activity she and her grandfather had been doing since she was eight years old, and “bonded over it since then until he was put into the (care) home,” as Ravyn said.

During that same time, her parents were going through a divorce.

“The stress of my family falling apart along with the stress of not being a part of anything anymore tore me completely apart,” Ravyn said. “I began failing classes and not caring if I ever graduated or not.”

Despite her hardships, Ravyn pulled through, with the support of teachers who wanted her to succeed. She also found that the flexible schedule became helpful to her life since it gave her more time to be with her family.

“I was able to work at my own pace, be there for my family when I was needed most, and was able to reach any teacher or staff member when needed,” said Ravyn.

Eventually, Ravyn was able to improve her grades and even graduate early! After graduation, she plans to head back to her home state, Wisconsin, where she plans to attend Northcentral Technical College for her Associate’s Degree in Marketing and Promotional Graphics. Her end goal is to work for the Star News Paper of Medford back in her hometown.

“Primavera helps me succeed by providing the most flexibility for any schedule. Without the help of my family, teachers, other Primavera Staff, and especially Ryan Peterson (Guidance Counselor) I wouldn’t be walking for graduation this June. Primavera is a school that promotes success more than any other institution.”