Meet Emari, FLVS Alum & Dual Enrollment Grad

This post was written by Emari Craft, a Class of 2020 graduate who took online courses with FLVS Flex.

My name is Emari Craft. I was a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) student from 7th grade until 11th grade. Online school was the best option for me. I wanted flexibility without compromising my education. When I became a Florida Virtual School student, I was worried that I would not receive the same education as my peers. I did not receive the same education. I believe my education was even better than what I would have received in a traditional school. I was always prepared for End-of-Course exams. I did well on the ACT because of the rigorous courses I took when I was an FLVS student.

Live lessons provided opportunities to connect with peers.

When I was younger, I was worried that I would not have any friends if I enrolled in a fully online school. However, I was able to make friends through online classes. I have known my best friend since 7th grade; we met in an FLVS Enriched Literature class.

My favorite classes were always English or History related. I particularly enjoyed attending live lessons for those classes and interacting with my teachers and peers. Attending live lessons helped me find my voice and learn how to express myself. I also enjoyed being able to choose when to do schoolwork and when to focus on extracurricular activities. Some weeks I would work on weekends to have a weekday off. Sometimes I would sleep in and work on assignments later in the evening.

Teachers offered the perfect amount of support.

FLVS encourages teachers and parents to be involved with students. My teachers would call, text, and email me regularly. I always received prompt replies when I asked questions. One of my favorite teachers was my Advanced Placement (AP) English Composition teacher, Mr. Ruszczyk. His feedback on assignments and our discussions during DBAs (discussion-based assessments) pushed me to become a better writer. Thanks to him, I earned college credits for passing the AP Exam. My Theatre, Cinema, and Film teacher, Ms. Jackson, was also one of my favorite teachers. Her class helped me discover how much I loved television and film. Ms. Jackson gave me very valuable advice regarding a career in television.

FLVS prepared me for college courses and online learning.

During my senior year of high school I was an early admissions student at Polk State College. The majority of my college courses were online. Because of the quality education I received from FLVS, I was successful in my college courses. I earned a 4.0 college GPA for the fall and spring semesters. I was also on the President’s List during both semesters. I graduated high school with a 4.45 GPA in the top 2 percent of my class.

I will be attending the University of South Florida this fall. I plan to major in Mass Communication with a concentration in broadcast news. I have decided to take all my courses for the fall semester online due to the pandemic and FLVS has prepared me to be a successful online student.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to be a Megabyte!