The nail biting and waiting are over for the class of 2019. Academy of the Redwoods Early College High School (AR) is proud to announce that the Class of 2019 have gained acceptance to an impressive array of colleges; here in California, and across the country. Out of a graduating class of 48 students, there were 28 different college acceptance letters received. Out of those 28 there were acceptances to UCLA, Pitzer, St. Olaf, University of Oregon, and Stanford. Fifteen students were accepted to Humboldt State University, seven students received invitations to attend UC Davis, and five got into Sonoma State. UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley each requested four AR students attend, while CSU Long Beach and San Francisco State would each love to educate three of this class. UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State and UC Merced want to welcome two AR graduates as well.

As for their decisions, sixteen of the graduates will continue on at College of the Redwoods, on whose campus AR is located, and others are still in the deciding stage. AR is proud of all our graduates, and there are stories behind all of these acceptances, some of which have been lauded already, like Rami Awaad and his early acceptance to Stanford.

But there are more, one of which is Jack Flyer, an eleventh grader, who will graduate as a sixteen years old and has decided to attend the University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA). He was also accepted to UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara. Flyer has a GPA of 4.79 and will have earned 70 college credits through CR before he even walks across the stage to accept his high school diploma. Of his experience and future plans Flyer says: “Academy of the Redwoods has provided me the opportunity to accomplish two associate degrees at CR in three years of high school, one in Mathematics for UC transfer and one in Communications and Humanities. With these degrees I will transfer my completed general education to UCLA in fall 2019 in hopes to complete my bachelors in Business Economics at 18 years old, after two years attending UCLA.”

Class of 2019 graduate Kiana Clark is completing a Public Safety Dispatcher course through CR, earning her POST certification with the hopes of working for Fortuna PD.

Two other members of the class of 2019 who have focused on achieving specific job training are Baljinder Kaur and Citlali Orozco. Two weeks before high school graduation, these students will receive certificates in Early Childhood Education from CR which qualifies them to become entry level preschool teachers.

By Kym Kemp, Redheaded Blackbelt