Like many students, Lauretta K. felt constrained by traditional schooling. She wanted a flexible school choice that would allow her to pursue her passions and focus on what mattered most to her. As someone who’s interested in nail-technology, having a school that allowed her to study what she wanted was a big plus.

“I decided to come to Visions because I wanted a more flexible schedule,” Lauretta says.

At Visions, she connected with teacher Ashley Brantley to start learning at her own pace. With aims of becoming a nail technician after graduation, Lauretta decided to create her own class in the form of a Directed Project, a special class available to allow students to explore their interests and inspire new learning.

“My directed project is about nails and it motivated me to start my nail business,” says Lauretta. “I planned out my directed project by creating goals for myself and making an Instagram page that I wanted to post regularly on.”

As part of the Directed Project, Lauretta began expanding her craft, learned how to market herself, and learned the ins and outs of how to run a successful business. She says that her experiences with her Directed Project have inspired her to pursue a future as a licensed nail technician and manicurist; an ambition she thanks her teacher for supporting.

“She was really supportive and always had positive feedback that encouraged me,” says Lauretta. “I grew a lot as a person in Visions. I was able to get to know myself more and focus on self-discipline.”

Looking back, she is glad she had the opportunity to get a jumpstart on her career of choice as a high school student. Though graduation is on the horizon, Lauretta is on to bigger and better things, something she is thankful to the helpful staff and teachers she interacted with.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all the Visions staff who work hard to make this a great school and amazing experience!”

Nail pictures courtesy of Lauretta K. Follow Lauretta at @nailsbyetta on Instagram!