Landen Joshua: ‘I Want to Shock Them’

Landen Joshua came to Lowcountry Acceleration Academy with a burning desire to accelerate his high school education, graduate early and move on to building his career in trade school.

He’s well on his way. By working hard from the start, the 16-year-old  finished his first course, English 1, in just over a week and is well into his second class.

“That’s my goal — work as hard as I can every day and graduate early,” said Landen, who recently moved from Texas to Charleston.

Landen said he didn’t thrive in traditional high school; the classes were too crowded, and teachers didn’t have time to provide much individual instruction. “I didn’t learn anything from normal high school.”

When the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools in March 2020 and forced a shift to fully and (later) partly remote learning, Landen hit his stride. Away from distractions, he found he was able to focus and get a lot done.

When he moved to Charleston recently and heard about Lowcountry Acceleration Academy, he was intrigued. When he checked out the campus, enrolled and began attending regularly, his hopes soared.

He loves the spacious, quiet coffee shop environment, the ability to settle into a comfortable chair, grab a snack and get right to work. He appreciates the educators who are always available to answer a question or address a personal concern. And he finds the approach of taking one course at a time to be just right.

“It’s at my own pace,” he said. “I learn better by myself.”

Landen said that English content coach Bria Burke-Koskela has been a great help in his first weeks at LAA. Burke-Koskela, in turn, admires the graduation candidate’s work ethic.

“He really likes the freedom of being able to sit in the cafe on his own and get his work done,” she said. “Even though he’s a social person, he thrives on working autonomously.”

Landen also praised life coach Jack Caulder. “He’s someone I can talk to,” he said. When they were discussing religion one day, Caulder recommened he read the book, “Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul.” Landen said, “He gave me good advice.”

Landen said there was a time when he wasn’t as enthusiastic about his studies and was simply an “average” student. Now he’s well on his way to earning his diploma and then going to trade school to become an HVAC technician, electrician or welder.

Now that he’s found his niche, he’s hoping to prove his friends and family that he’s capable of achieving great things.

“I want to shock them.”