When I was four, my older brother was forced to find another school because his closed down in the middle of first grade. My parents were at a loss because his school was a private Christian academy and I was supposed to attend once I hit kindergarten age. Rather than send us to public school, they elected to homeschool my brother and me.

It was, hands down, the best decision they could have made.

Until I graduated from high school at age 16, I was homeschooled by my mother and learned alongside my brother. There were many perks, such as choosing our own curriculum, learning at our own pace, and receiving personalized education in the comfort of my own home. Overall, it was incredibly beneficial and helped propel me into my academic career and success.

For most of my school life, I have excelled in academics. I learned how to efficiently read at age 5, taught myself cursive at age 6, and skipped two grades when I was 12. There are many things that helped me excel in school, including the fact that I could learn at my older brother’s level, which was two grades above my own. I was able to pick what curricula worked for me and what didn’t, what was interesting and what wasn’t (outside of requirements), and really fall in love with school and all it held for me.

Homeschooling holds a lot of stigma, but I have nothing but praise to heap upon the subject. Although there are some downsides, homeschooling was essential in my success. I learned how to be self-sufficient and manage time well, be diligent in completing my tasks, and figure out what worked for me and what didn’t.

When I was sixteen, I had the amazing opportunity to graduate high school and begin college. As a sixteen-year-old, it was extremely exciting and amazing yet completely daunting and strange. As I stood in line with my older brother by my side, I had major butterflies in my stomach. However, as nervous as I was, I walked across that stage, received my high school diploma, and began my new academic career.

Two years later, in fall 2016, I am sitting on my bed at my dream school writing this article. At eighteen years old, I am a college junior who will graduate at 20 years old and pursue her Master's degree and eventually her Ph.D. I have to thank homeschooling and my driven mother to thank for my success.

This article is not meant to highlight my personal successes; it instead brings attention to the amazing opportunity that is homeschooling. If it wasn’t for homeschooling, I would not be writing articles for an awesome online blog, pursuing my dream degree, becoming the person I want to be, and achieving my goals at the ripe old age of 18.

As stigmatized as homeschooling is, it has really helped propel me into personal and academic success.