When a homeschool graduate applied to enter Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, he was surprised when a representative said that he must submit a letter from his school board stating that he completed the requirements for high school.
But before he could address that problem, it was time for him to leave for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands on a long-planned hiking trip. Because of his interest in forestry as a career, he was looking forward to viewing forest ecosystems far from his Virginia home.
Moving Forward
When he returned rested and refreshed, he picked up where he had left off and sought HSLDA’s help.
I wrote a letter to the college representative explaining that school boards play no role in determining what a homeschool student must achieve in order to graduate. I urged the representative to move the application forward.
My letter was received favorably.
Today the young man is attending classes and gaining the knowledge he needs to qualify him to become a steward of our nation’s forest resources.
The graduate’s mother explained that her son’s interest in forestry developed from his love of the outdoors, which was engendered by the flexibility their homeschool program afforded.
When her son was young, she said, he and his friends simply enjoyed exploring the woods around their home. Later on he was able to participate in more structured adventures. In addition to the Ecuador trip, these included earning Eagle Scout honors, cycling through parts of Europe, and hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim.