Early on in high school, Kelsey Kern struggled. She felt as though she was fighting an uphill battle and was told she would never get her high school diploma or pass math.

That changed in 2013 when she transferred schools and graduated from Lawrence North High School with a Certificate of Completion. Just 12 credits shy of a Core 40 diploma, Kelsey continued to work towards her goal at Achieve Virtual, an online high school.

While it took her a few times, she persevered and passed before graduating in December 2014. For the year and a half she was there, she had many teachers who supported her along the way—something she had not been accustomed to.

“I even received a Daredevil Award from the district for my hard work!” she said.

Upon graduating from Achieve Virtual, Kelsey’s mom encouraged her to consider Ivy Tech, something she was glad happened.

“Ivy Tech has been a huge blessing and I have nothing but positive experiences.”

Despite math still being somewhat of a struggle, Kelsey works hard to maintain As and Bs in her other classes.

“I have incredible professors, namely Dr. Zingg, who was my professor for both HUMS 103 and HUMS 206, Mrs. E. and Mr. Attai who were my professors for Math 100 and the second time I attempted Math 136,” she said. “I can’t thank these professors enough for all the support and encouragement they provided.”

In addition to her studies, she enjoys getting updates from the Human Services Club and has attended two of the Odeon Society’s 1 Act Festivals. She also participated in the Commit to Complete campaign in September 2016.

As of May 2017, she finished an internship through Eskenazi Mental Health in Indianapolis. She was able to shadow support specialists from the Indianapolis Public School system and work with students.

On schedule to graduate from Ivy Tech in December 2017, Kelsey plans to take her next math class this summer, using IvyPrep to help her, and then will have a full schedule this fall.

This student, who once felt defeated by all the discouragement in the past, now has plans to transfer to IUPUI to earn a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and then her doctorate in social work. She hopes to work with children.

“I recommend starting at Ivy Tech because it gives you a chance to develop the self-discipline needed for the rest of the college journey,” Kelsey said. “It helps you explore different majors if you come having no ideas what you want to do with the rest of your life, career-wise.”