Denali L.
About Me
Hi! My name is Denali, and I am currently in my 4th and final year as a senior at Stanford OHS. I am a full-time student and plan to graduate in California this June. I am from Hattiesburg, Mississippi and outside of class, I love to explore the city with my friends on the weekends. I love a bit of everything, really. I love watching video essays about philosophy, music, and niche online topic/communities. I also play school and travel volleyball, which takes up a good amount of my time. Before i started playing volleyball, I did musical theatre and I still enjoy listening to musicals and attending local musicals in my city. I also participate in local art shows and I make mixed medias and watercolor pieces when I have free time. I plan to major in Biology and become a research biologist.
Why I Chose Stanford OHS
Stanford OHS was the only school at the time that was able to offer rigorous school work, with the unique opportunity to have class with all kinds of students from around the world with countless amounts of backgrounds. I come from a fairly small town in the deep south of Mississippi, so this was the diverse culture that I didn't know I was lacking. On top of that, Stanford OHS (its teachers, classes, and students) has the ability to bring out the best in you as a student, and I believe that was apparent when I read over the school's website for the first time. I went to a private gifted school for my whole life before Stanford OHS, and was thriving in the environment of having healthy academic competition with kids who wanted and were excited to learn. Many schools in my area don't offer that level of education and that's why I chose Stanford OHS. I have always had high expectations and big dreams for what I want to do in my life, and I truly believe that Stanford OHS has brought me closer to those aspirations.
What I Love About Stanford OHS
As a kid who attended a gifted school in Mississippi which only had grades K-8th, leaving my old school and finding one that was going to provide the same level of unique teaching style and rigor was very important. I also graduated 8th grade during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so online school seemed to be the best option and things lined up really well for me. What I love so much about Stanford OHS is the fact that although its an online school, there are bits and pieces of brick-and-mortar schooling that makes you feel as though a class is taking action in front of you. Homeschooling is big where I live, and time after time, Stanford OHS stands out when I tell others about my classes, with our cameras, chats, and whiteboards, and with our curriculum (yearly philosophy classes, very specific yet interesting advanced classes, etc). Stanford OHS gives homeschooling/online schooling an amazing reputation that I think is often lost in stereotypes in our day-to-day world.
I also love the student that attend and the types of discussion that take place in class. Students here love to dive deep into topics and are interested in the how's and why's of life that I believe the typical high school student often looks over. Stanford OHS and its students will push you to become a better student, leader, and thinker which are priceless in activities outside of school.