Nayeli Serna: Without EAA, ‘I Wouldn’t Be Who I Am Today’

Like so many Americans, high schooler Nayeli Serna got sick with Covid — so sick that she had to be hospitalized for a week. Her anxiety about falling ill again combined with an already present social anxiety to make her consider dropping out rather than returning to a large, traditional school.

“I wanted to drop out,” she says. “My anxiety was so high.”

But then she found Acceleration Academies of Ector County (EAA), which works in partnership with the Ector County Independent School District to provide a flexible, personalized path for learners who don’t find traditional schools to be a good fit.

When Nayeli pulled on mask to protect her health and first stepped inside ECAA, she was struck by how quiet and uncrowded it was. She found comfortable seating rather than rows of classroom desks — and educators who had time to give her as much personal attention as she needed.

At her old school, “it was like you walk down the hallway and there are people everywhere pushing each other,” she says. “I just can’t.”

At EAA, by contrast, she and other graduation candidates can choose from a variety of rooms and work either alone, with an educator or in a small group. Whenever she comes across a challenge in her studies, all she has to do is look up to see a subject coach, counselor or GC advocate ready to help.

“There are so many tutors,” she marvels. “They have motivated me to keep going and to graduate. They’re just the best.”

She appreciates that the school is open extended hours and offers personalized scheduling. She comes in mornings from 8 to noon, gets a lot done and can then go home in the afternoon to care for her elderly grandmother. She sees her classmates also taking advantage of the flexibility.

“I like how it’s so like flexible hours,” she says. “There are people who work. There are people who are pregnant but still want to graduate. This is their opportunity here.”

And hers. After earning her diploma, she plans to go onto college and become a nurse. She’s always loved caring for people, she says, and she’s grateful for the care she’s gotten here.

“If it weren’t for Acceleration Academies, I would have dropped out. I wouldn’t be able to go into the nursing program,” she says. “I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Acceleration Academies of Ector County accepts new students on a rolling basis. For more information, check out the academy web page and fill out an online enrollment form.