High school junior Victoire LeTourneau shared this story at the 黑料不打烊 Mardi Gras Dinner & Auction, February 11, 2012. She is on track to graduate next year and is planning to apply to the University of Washington.
My name is Victoire LeTourneau. I鈥檓 a junior at the Kent Phoenix Academy in the Performance Learning Center program, or the PLC.
I really like being in the PLC because we do a lot of our classes online and we can work at our own pace. I love that I鈥檝e been able to do my classes faster and finish so many classes that I鈥檝e even skipped a grade. This is only my second year of high school, but I鈥檓 already starting on my junior year classes!
I also like that I can get to know the teachers and staff members in the PLC on a personal level. The PLC really feels like a small family where everyone knows each other and where you are accepted no matter what. This is a big change from my other high school where I didn鈥檛 feel welcome or accepted at all.
One of the best things about the PLC is the Communities In Schools programs. My favorite program is the Mentoring Program and getting to meet with my mentor, Monica. We bonded together right away and she鈥檚 really easy to talk to because she鈥檚 into a lot of the same things as me 鈥搇ike learning, math, and even Sherlock Holmes!
I really like having a mentor because it gives me someone older to talk to who can help me with my problems. Before I started meeting with Monica, I was having a lot of problems with my friends. But Monica helped me make sense of everything and work out my problems so I could concentrate on my schoolwork again.
I recommend to other students that they have a mentor too, because a mentor is someone who can encourage you to get your work done and support you when you鈥檙e having a hard time in your life. Especially if you find the perfect mentor 鈥� like I did 鈥� your mentor is someone you can trust and who is supportive and protective of you no matter what!
In addition to the Mentoring Program, Communities In Schools has a lot of college and career programs too. Last year, I went on a field trip to the University of Washington and I totally fell in love with the school. I got to see the campus life, their huge library, and I found out they have all of the programs I want to go into, which are performing arts and computer science. So now I鈥檓 planning to apply to the University of Washington for college!
I also just got accepted into the new Employment Edge class, where I鈥檒l get to learn about the workforce and do an internship at a local business. My internship will be my first work experience ever! I鈥檓 really excited to learn new job skills, like how to write a resume, and to increase my chances to get a good job later on.
I really love being at the PLC and in all of the Communities In Schools programs. I hope a lot of other students can have the same opportunities that I had to be successful.