February 29, 2024 | Jeffrey Good
Many young people move through high school with a bright sense of possibility. Evyn Wright, by contrast, struggled under a darkening cloud.
Evyn’s father died, then their brother, and the grief would not go away. Evyn (who uses they/them pronouns) moved in with an aunt, but a stretch of bad luck forced them to live for a time out of a camper. After trying one school during freshman year and another the next year, the burdens became too much.
“I got overwhelmed at school so I just dropped out,” Evyn recalls.
These days, Evyn’s life and future are looking so much brighter; they made up for lost academic ground and expect to graduate in the spring. Enrolling in Lowcountry Acceleration Academy (LAA) has made all the difference.
“At a traditional school, you can easily fall through the cracks, that’s what happened to me,” Evyn says. “Here they support you. Feeling that support from people who are not your immediate family is really helpful.”
Rather than feeling like just another name on an enrollment sheet, Evyn sensed from the start that LAA’s team of academic and personal coaches took an interest in them as an individual. They asked Evyn which pronouns they use, helped with academic challenges when they arose and provided moral support without being asked.
Graduation candidate advocate Janell Reyes has been especially supportive, checking in on Evyn every day. “It’s kind of cheesy but every Monday, she sends me an inspirational message,” Evyn says of Janell. “She has it on her calendar.”
Evyn loves coming to the North Charleston campus, settling into a chair in the cafe-style learning space and enjoying the ability to move about freely rather than waiting for lunch hour or asking special permission.
“You can get up, walk around. If you’re feeling sluggish, you can get up, grab a snack,” Evyn says. “It’s nice to have more freedom to design your day in the way that’s going to fit best for you. You can listen to yourself more and do what you need to do.”
Evyn has taken advantage of LAA’s growing career and technical education (CTE) activities, participating in a YWCA program that introduced graduation candidates to people working in different areas of the health care profession.
“A lot of times, when you think of health care, you think of doctors or nurses,” says Evyn. But through the program, Evyn and their classmates learned of other roles — including ultrasound technician, x-ray technician and phlebotomist — that require less initial education but offer rewarding career opportunities.
“There are lots of different roles you can play,” says Evyn. These days, through their own determination and help from the caring adults at Lowcountry Acceleration Academy, Evyn can see only bright skies ahead.
“I don’t dread going to school anymore,” Evyn says. “I’m looking forward to my future now.”
Lowcountry Acceleration Academy is a tuition-free public charter high school in North Charleston, SC. Part of the SC Public Charter School District, LAA enrolls students ages 14-20 in grades 9-12 year-round. Learn more >>>