MASTERY, PASSION, PURPOSE, and AUTONOMY are four things I’ve learned from my rollercoaster journey in the INNOVATION ACADEMY. Every minute spent in the IA is a minute I will never take back. Every laugh, frustration, success, and failure have been PRICELESS. In this year and a half I’ve not only learned more than ever before, but most importantly I’ve learned how to learn; I’ve instilled a TRUE passion for learning and education.

Through the IA we’ve created a CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE, a culture we are proud of, and a culture that represents what we believe and who we are. In the IA we are INSPIRED by competition not threatened, we appreciate and revere BEAUTIFUL WORK, and we are completely TRANSPARENT with everything--even grades. Inside this class, learning trumps grades.  Finally, in the IA we VALUE TRUST, people have the power be autonomous, but we are all responsible of our own learning and holding each other accountable.

Through the INNOVATION ACADEMY I've experienced education from a totally different PERSPECTIVE. The IA hasn't only taught me knowledge and skills that I will apply in the future, but it has taught me how to apply them, and how to stand up when I fall down. 

Challenging and questioning the traditional learning system was HUGE risk I took by choosing the IA. However, today I’ve realized the VALUE and all the BENEFITS that the IA has brought me. Everything we learn here is perfectly translated to the real-world. The IA is not another high school education program, it is a real life experience, where your skills are knowledge are put into a REAL-WORLD test.