My NSA Story
By Graham S.
Africa is a vast, diverse continent where some of the most fascinating countries, regions, individuals, and creatures live. Among the latter am I, who has lived in East Africa for most of his life, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As much as I loved the DRC, it unfortunately lacked many traits that are essential to creating a stable country, including educational opportunities. In the pursuit of better opportunities, I looked for other means of furthering my studies, which led me to NorthStar Academy. The choice I had was either leaving Congo and attending boarding school elsewhere, away from my family, or attending an online school such as NorthStar. To be frank, the idea of attending an online school initially seemed daunting, especially with the bitter memory of COVID-19 so fresh in my mind. However, I ultimately chose to enroll at NorthStar rather than leave my home. A little under three years ago, I attended NSA for the first time, a decision I have not regretted. NorthStar gave me a good education, opportunities to forge friendships, and taught me lessons about both myself and my abilities.
My story at the NorthStar Navigator begins two years prior to my writing of this article. I was relatively new to NorthStar as a whole, having begun the previous year. I was curious about what other courses were offered at NSA beyond the more regular classes like math or biology that I had taken and was eager to discover what else I could achieve on the platform. My mother told me one day that NSA apparently had a school newspaper called the NorthStar Navigator. This piqued my interest already, and my excitement only grew when she informed me that the Nav was run mostly by students and was looking for new applicants.
I have always had a love of writing, particularly fiction in the form of fantasy or science-fiction stories, but I thought that dipping my toes, or pen, into the region of non-fiction and articles could be a good way to improve my writing abilities. The thought also occurred to me that perhaps I could also spread some of my more fictitious works as short stories over the Nav as well. As I joined my first call, I was greeted by old friends, a fun teacher, and a welcoming community. I have remained on the Nav since, and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Columns:👤NSA People, 🗞️Staff Stories
Graham S. lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with his mom, dad, younger brother, cat, and two dogs. He's been at NSA for three years. He loves reading, writing, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, and Warhammer 40k. The Navigator acts as perfect way for him to use his love of writing and share his work.