Letter From A Parent

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It’s not uncommon for parents to write to us, and we love getting letters that celebrate our staff. We recently received the letter below from a family who admitted they were reluctant to enroll their daughter in a virtual school when she suggested it, but made the move when the pandemic hit.

“Once I found ASU Prep Digital, I knew we had a
great option available to us.”

– Matt Cepkauskas, parent

“I felt like I needed to take a few minutes to sing the praises of Mrs. Sanderson and let you know how much she has meant to our family.

We enrolled our daughter Paris into ASU Prep Digital two years ago. Paris was doing fine at her traditional high school grade wise but was very unhappy. She was asking us to do school online or homeschool. I was pretty negative about the idea. Then COVID hit and Paris was forced to take her classes at home. We noticed that Paris had the self-discipline and commitment to thrive in an online atmosphere. That summer I researched numerous options for Paris to continue her education online. Once I found ASU Prep Digital, I knew we had a great option available to us.

We enrolled Paris in ASU Prep Digital in the summer of 2020. We brought with us several other families who were also looking for a change from our old high school. I was very nervous as now I had my own daughter changing schools but also felt responsible for the other families that we encouraged to go to ASU Prep Digital. At the time, I asked for an experienced Learning Success Coach to guide my daughter and these new families. We were all assigned to Mrs. Sanderson. After meeting Mrs. Sanderson for the first time I knew we were in good hands.

Over the past couple of years, I have filled out several surveys about Mrs. Sanderson. I always talk about how professional she is. Every email is answered timely, every question is answered in depth, and I know she is in constant contact with Paris. On top of this Mrs. Sanderson really cares about her students. She has done so much for us over the past two years.

Thinking ahead to college 
Paris had an interest in some college design classes. Despite not being on the normal list of ASU classes available, Paris was able to take the classes she desired and now has a very clear path of what she wants to pursue in college.

As we have started to look forward to Paris’s college career Mrs. Sanderson arranged for Paris to meet a graduated ASU Prep Digital student who enrolled in Barrett, The Honors College. Paris got to sit in on an Honors class and loved it.

Paris wanted to learn more about ASU and her desired college major of Graphic Design. Mrs. Sanderson made some calls and we ended up meeting an advisor for Graphic Design students. We met with Mr. Brady who took an hour with us to describe in great detail the program and educational options for Paris. Paris loved the meeting and Mr. Brady. We then found out Mr. Brady would be Paris’s advisor if she attends ASU.

Recently, we met with Mrs. Sanderson about Paris’s senior year. Mrs. Sanderson did additional research to make sure that Paris not only completed her required high school classes but that she would also take needed classes to qualify for specific scholarships.

Graduating with 50 college credits
As parents we are very proud of what our daughter has accomplished. Paris will graduate ASU Prep Digital with around 50 ASU college credits. This has been due to the support and teamwork we have had with Mrs. Sanderson. Paris has always been focused on college since before high school. Part of that focus has been to go to college in a big city. Paris has always been drawn to San Francisco, New York, or Chicago. Any mention of going to ASU was not met with excitement. With Paris being our only child, we are not comfortable with the idea of her going to a big city. We also knew that Paris would need to reach a decision on her own about what was the best fit for her. Lately Paris has been very open and even excited about ASU. Why? She recently told me that everyone she has ever encountered at ASU Prep Digital or ASU has been friendly, professional, and encouraging to her. She also mentioned Mrs. Sanderson specifically. As parents who would like to see our daughter go to ASU, Mrs. Sanderson has been instrumental in Paris getting to see what a great institution ASU is.

Regardless of what the future holds Mrs. Sanderson is a great representative of not only ASU Prep Digital but also ASU. As she often says, “ASU is one big family.” We are grateful to be part of that family and particularly grateful to all that Mrs. Sanderson has meant to our family.”

With Sincere Thanks,

Matt and Amber Cepkauskas

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cepkauskas, for entrusting Paris’s educational journey with ASU Prep Digital and taking the time to celebrate Mrs. Sanderson. We are grateful for our ASU family, too, and it means a lot when parents share their joy and pride of their student’s success with us.