With online learning, students are able to adjust their
classes and schedules in a way that sets them up for success. That is exactly
what Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy
(OVCA) senior Lydia England did. By taking the reins of her education, Lydia
was named an Academic All-state by the Oklahoma
Foundation for Excellence.

The Academic All-state award is provided to individuals
across the state of Oklahoma for academic success, community involvement and
participation in extracurricular activities. Lydia is one of 100 students to
receive Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic award. Each year, award winners
receive a $1,000 merit-based scholarship and medallion.

Lydia said that she is honored to receive this award and
appreciates the opportunities she’s had to be successful. She does not take
credit alone for her achievements. “I am so thankful to all my teachers who have helped me get to
where I am today,” she said. “It feels like my hard work has paid off, and
that’s a good feeling.”

Prior to enrolling at OVCA, Lydia was homeschooled. She
enrolled in OVCA in 8th grade in order to take on a more challenging course
load. Throughout high school, Lydia has taken multiple dual enrollment courses,
earning both high school and college credits in chemistry, math courses, and even
history of medieval Europe.

“I’ve had the opportunity to take
multiple college-level classes, which has been some of the best preparation for
college that I could ask for,” she said.

With the opportunity to
personalize her schedule, Lydia was involved in several extracurricular
activities and held jobs to give herself a well-rounded experience. Lydia held leadership positions within academic clubs at OVCA
and was president of the student council during 9^th and 10^th
grade. She was also a member of the National Honor Society all four years of
high school.

“I have lots of interests outside school, and because
of OVCA I was able to pursue all of those,” she said. “And in school, controlling
my schedule helped me learn more thoroughly and deeply the topics we covered,
because I had the time to do my own research, and the opportunity to discuss
those topics with other students in my classes.” 

Despite her rigorous schedule with
dual enrollment college classes and extracurriculars, Lydia excelled
academically and earned above a 4.0 GPA. Lydia worked hard to achieve her goals
and receive academic awards. Lydia’s mom, Cheryl, is happy she enrolled Lydia
in online school to give her the best opportunities and is proud of her
daughter’s accomplishments.

“OVCA provided academic
rigor along with excellent teachers and counselors to guide Lydia through her
high school years,” Cheryl said. “Their interest, like they show all of the students
at OVCA, is to give them the tools to succeed.”

This
fall, Lydia will continue her education by attending the University of
Oklahoma’s Honors College to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

“I’ve always been interested in
pursuing engineering, but it wasn’t until I started taking concurrent classes
through the University of Oklahoma that I realized that if I wanted to pursue
it, I could,” she said. “I’m thankful to OVCA for empowering me to pursue my
dreams, especially those which I used to think I could never do, or never be
good at.”

Most
importantly, she feels confident that she is ready for the next chapter in her
life. Lydia said that her teachers and counselors gave her the resources and
support to prepare her for college.

“The
teachers at OVCA encouraged me to pursue my education as far as possible,” she
said. Now, she is ready to see where the path of education takes her next.

To learn more about Oklahoma
Virtual Charter Academy, visit https://ovca.k12.com/