Maggie Friedman, graduada de la promoción 2021, galardonada como Salutatorian

From Upper St. Clair, PA, Maggie Friedman enrolled at PA Distance last year when she was in 11th-grade. Although she was only with PA Distance for two years, Maggie experienced the many benefits in that short period of time. She also excelled in her classes and graduated as the Salutatorian for the class of 2021.

“An online environment worked really well for me. I felt comfortable in my own environment at home,” she explained. “The classes were smaller than in my home district so I had more one-on-one time with my teachers.”

Maggie loves reading and writing and plans to follow that interest after high school. In fact, she will be attending Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio where she will major in Literature. 

“The classes available to us were also great,” she said. “I enjoyed taking English and advanced AP classes the most. I liked the challenge.” 

“Maggie is one of the most passionate students I have worked with. She is passionate and loyal to all things important to her,” PA Distance High School Counselor Mrs. Mihoerck said. “She always shares what she is currently reading. Her love of literature is incredible!”

“I’m thinking about becoming a literary agent when I graduate from college,” Maggie said. “Reading for a living would be great.” 

During high school, Maggie often spent her free time as an apprentice at Little Lake Theatre, a community theatre outside of Pittsburgh, PA, where she would build sets, usher, and help people park their cars before big shows. She lovingly describes Little Lake as her “second home”. 

“PA Distance helped me focus better. I loved the flexibility and having more time throughout the day,” she said. “I will miss the teachers a lot. They really care about their students. I’m going to stay in touch even after graduation.”

At the combined virtual and in-person graduation ceremony in Harrisburg, PA, Maggie was asked to make a speech as the Salutatorian. Her words resonated with many of her classmates as she spoke about her struggles with mental health that went hand-in-hand with her success in school. However, she explained, once she found her place at PA Distance she flourished inside and outside the classroom. 

Now that she is an official high school graduate, she is even more excited about starting a new chapter at college.

“I’m very excited to go to college,” she said. “And, I’m thankful to PA Distance for giving me the opportunity to get this far.” 

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Acerca de PA Distance Learning Charter School

Desde 2004, PA Distance ha estado proporcionando un entorno de aprendizaje virtual acogedor para los estudiantes en los grados K-12 a través de Pennsylvania. Los estudiantes de PA Distance participan en un entorno mixto que combina el aprendizaje "síncrono" y "asíncrono". La misión de PA Distance es combinar técnicas probadas de enseñanza en el aula con tecnologías educativas para promover el crecimiento académico de todos los estudiantes.