Meet student of the month Bianca Bethany, a senior who has overcome many hardships during her time at Ignite Christian Academy.
Why I Love Ignite Christian Academy
I have been going to Ignite Christian Academy for a year and a half. I enrolled because I wanted to graduate from a Christian school. I like the individual instruction and the fact that I can have the quiet work area of my own home.
My favorite part of distance learning has to be my teachers. They are there to support me and help me find my way when I become lost. They always let me know when they are online and how to reach them. They are kind and patient. The school also lets me work at my own pace, which is great because I am a dyslexic.
My Favorite Subject
My favorite subject is history. I love to see how the past affects our lives today. I like to discover whether good choices were made or if we repeat the same mistakes over and over.
My Story and Source of Strength
In the past year and a half so many tragedies have hit my family, including the loss of a sister, an aunt, and my father. I was surprised to find comfort, support, and encouragement from my school. They really care for their students.
I was also born with a defective gene that prevents my body from changing carbohydrates into glucose that provides energy to my nerves and muscles. As I've gotten older it has caused more problems in my body, including migraine headaches, muscle spasms, and shortness of breath. My first diagnosis was Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and a few months ago the doctor diagnosed me with mitochondrial myopathy.
I am very thankful to Ignite Christian Academy for giving me hope and never deducting from my grade for all of the time I spent at the doctor's offices and testing centers. With this condition, I would have lost a whole year and a half if it weren't for ICA. There were days I couldn't get out of bed, yet the academy always encouraged me not to give up. The teachers were my strength and hope when I had very little. They would keep me updated with assignments, showing me where I was and how I could keep moving ahead with my education.
Advice to Others Who Face Health Challenges
My advice to any student that might have health challenges is to work with your teachers, be honest about all of the struggles you are facing, and feel free to ask for help. Never let anyone talk you out of your dreams and goals. Look at other students who faced great struggles and achieved their goals! I always knew that struggles make you stronger. Never, never give up, and don't compare yourself to students without a challenge. Instead, find a person that has overcome a challenge and know that if he can do it, then so can you. Find your strength, mine was my faith, and then believe in yourself!
Plans after Graduation
I just have a few more lessons, a test in geometry, and about a week in English before I graduate. Even though I still have the physical problems that I face, I know that God planted me in the soil of ICA and can see me blooming. I plan to go to college if my health allows me to do so, meet the man that God has made for me, get married, and have a family. Someday I would also like to be a social worker, because I want to help children who have problems to overcome.
Despite the hardships she's faced, Bianca says that others would be surprised to know she still has the love, joy, and peace that God has placed in her life.