Class of 2018 Graduate, CeeCee Lane, Has Big Plans for Her Future

Meet Ceecee

Seannahcy "Ceecee" Lane is a 2018 PA Distance graduate, who managed to finish two years in one. On top of graduating early, she was working a part-time job. Ceecee’s moving onto the Air Force after high school.  She took the ASVAB without any studying and scored high.  And that’s also why a cyber school with PA Distance was such a good fit for her.

Why Cyber School?

Being from a military family, Ceecee has lived all over the United States: California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, and now Pennsylvania.  She’s always adapted well to her different schools and locations, and she’s always had stellar grades.

One day, though, something happened that shook her: her big brother was killed by a drunk driver, and that shook her. They were extremely close. On top of that, her school environment in Pennsylvania wasn’t a good fit for her, and for the first time ever, her grades started dropping (by Ceecee’s standards), she disengaged and became bored.

“I wasn’t challenged,” she said. “It wasn’t a good environment, you know?”

Her mom switched modes, looking to keep her daughter engaged.  Ceecee took classes at Northampton Community College at first, earning 6 credits towards an associate's degree.  Soon after, the idea of graduating early became a reality. They found PA Distance and working with the high school counselor, they decided to try for early graduation.

PA Distance Learning was willing to make it work, and most importantly, Ceecee was willing to put in the work.

Learning Unexpected Lessons

“My mom explained to me that cyber school was going to be hard, but I underestimated it,” Ceecee confessed.

The transition to cyber school was difficult for Ceecee, but she learned valuable lessons that made her stronger.

“It’s not so much that it’s hard, but you don’t have someone constantly over your shoulder," she explained. "You have to be on yourself to maintain good grades. Once you let your time slip and your assignments pile up, it’s hard to dig yourself out of that hole.”

And that’s what happened to Ceecee, like many students: she got herself into a hole, full of extra assignments since she was trying to graduate early.  She had to find a way to dig herself out, and here’s how she did it:

• Communication: you’re not alone

“I had great teachers that actually cared,” she shared.

“I dug myself in,” she admitted. “But we [she and the teachers] met in hangouts and took extra time out so that I could still graduate early. They all expressed they wanted to see me graduate, and would help me, as long as I put in my time and effort.”

With their help and Ceecee's hard work, she started to dig herself out.

• Time management: the art of planning ahead

Ceecee thought she had it handled - until she didn’t have it handled.  She knew she wanted to keep working part-time at the local psychology practice. The job was a position she never imagined getting so young, and it was the opportunity of a lifetime since she's considering a career in the medical field.  She also refused to give up her goal of graduating early.  This meant she had to adapt and make some changes.

She learned simple tricks, like planning her week on Sunday, or working ahead on days when she had more time.

“If I could get anything done earlier, I got it done earlier,” she said. “One less thing to worry about! That way, instead of digging yourself out of a hole, you're breezing through.”

• A great mom: the centerpiece of success

We can't forget Ceecee's mom and all the hard work that goes into being a cyber school parent. It's almost a full time job itself, and the parent-student relationship needs teamwork for success in cyber school.  Ceecee knows this first-hand. 

Ceecee's mom was there to help push her, keep her organized, and encourage her at every turn. Most importantly: her mom was pushing her toward independence.  

In the end, she made the changes she needed to make and got it done.  That’s just Ceecee.

Favorite Things About PA Distance Learning

When asked her favorite things about cyber school, Ceecee replied with a laugh, “Am I allowed to say the teachers for everything?”

• Teachers
  

“My teachers make me want to be better, go harder, and attend a class every day!” Ceecee said. “They’ve been great.”  This is a big difference after spending her first two years of high school feeling bored.

She spoke about her precalculus teacher, Mrs. Lee, who she said almost made her love math.

“Well, I don’t love math now, but I don’t hate it anymore," Ceecee clarified, laughing.

“Mrs. Lee would meet with me in hangouts [live video chats] after class, and we worked through problems together," she shared. "Maybe I didn’t understand the way she explained it in class, so she took the time to make sure I understood it and was able to do it on my own.”

Her teachers would spend the time that she needed to learn in the way that she needed, and it made a huge difference.

• Everyone Talks to Everyone

“Everyone talks to everyone!” Ceecee told me. “It’s been such a different experience.”

Ceecee didn’t have time to go on field trips or join any clubs, so she didn’t get to know her classmates outside of school. Thankfully, she felt right at home in the classroom.  The virtual class discussions, she explained, were different than any she had known.

“We all get to interact with each other, and we don’t always know what each other look like.  Not that that should make a difference - but you know how people think in school.”

And those students, from all over Pennsylvania, bring diverse perspectives to class discussions.

“In class discussions, we all have a different point of view on things,” Ceecee explained. “When you’re from where you’re from, that’s all you know. Talking to other people from different places that have a different perspective on things is really interesting.  I’ve had to rethink things!”

Between caring teachers and caring classroom culture, it was a beautiful junior and senior year for Ceecee.  She's pushed through many obstacles and learned many lessons to get where she is now.

Ceecee’s Top 3 Tips for Future Students

When asked what advice she had for future cyber high school students, she paused only briefly before firing off the following:

• “Time management - that’s key, plan ahead. Before the week starts, plan what assignments you’ll get done on what days. Don’t get stuck in that hole!”

• “Ask questions - don’t be afraid to ask for help. The more help the better. You don’t want to be struggling when you have all these great people who are willing to help you!”

• “Stay focused on your goal that you’re trying to achieve. Although there will be obstacles - because no matter what high school you go to it’s going to be a roller coaster ride - stay focused on the goal of graduating. If you graduate, you can become that doctor you want to be, or that lawyer you want to be, or that model - whatever it is you want to be!”

Ceecee wants to give a shout-out to all the teachers for helping her this year.  She also wants to thank her mom for giving her that push she needed, even though she didn’t always want that push.

Ceecee is aiming high, following in her brother's footsteps with an Air Force career. She's hoping to enter in either the medical field or as a linguist.  She has momentum, graduating an entire year early, and anyone who knows her knows she won’t stop anytime soon - that’s just Ceecee.