Local student balances school and managing her start-up business

(COLUMBUS) - Amy Pride is a senior at Ohio Connections Academy. She has been attending the public online school for several years and believes it has given her the flexibility to enjoy some opportunities outside of school that she couldn’t have in a traditional setting.

In addition to managing her high school coursework along with a few college classes, Amy started her own business last year selling digital and physical works of art through Etsy that include specially commissioned pieces, stickers, prints, “toonme” drawings, fanart and more.

She started the business because she loves drawing. It's been a lot of hard work managing all the marketing, advertising, packaging, shipping, market trend research, accounting, merchandise inventory, and web design, she said she takes a lot of pride in all that she has been able to do because she did it all herself. Plus, it gives her the experience she believes will help her one day create her own fashion business.

“Coming to Ohio Connections Academy opened a new world for me to explore. And it provided me with many opportunities that matched my interests,” Amy said.

Amy has excelled in the virtual classroom and is the first Ohio Connections Academy student to apply for an Arts Honors Diploma through the Ohio Department of Education. Ohio’s Honors Diploma program recognizes students who exceed minimum graduation requirements through taking rigorous coursework and engaging in robust, real-world experiences.

“I was able to take challenging classes that pushed me academically. I gained a new love for math when I joined OCA which encouraged me to take honor levels in both Algebra II and Pre-Calculus,” Amy said.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Amy is a very active member of the OCA student body as she serves as president of both the Student Council and National Honor Society. She is also a member of OCA's Student Culture and Diversity Team, the Art Club, Leadership Club, and Writer's Oasis. She’s has written multiple articles for the school newsletter, and she volunteers her time to help her classmates through the Math Peer Tutoring program and the Peer Mentoring program.

In the spring Amy was named a winner of the College for Creative Studies Fashion Design Competition earning a Resident honor. As one of the ten winners nationally, she had the option to take a three-week, non-credit online “Fashion Illustration” course taught by New York fashion illustrator Julie Muszynski where students learn essential fashion illustration skills to build their portfolios. The other option was to receive a scholarship to the College for Creative Studies if she were to enroll in the CCS undergraduate Fashion Design program.

Amy does plan to attend college after graduating from Ohio Connections Academy. She currently has an interest in possibly attending a Historically Black College and is actively applying to several colleges. She is looking to study fashion design. As she is very comfortable learning online from her experience at Ohio Connections Academy, she is also considering colleges that will offer online courses.

“Ohio Connections Academy has allowed me to accomplish a lot more then I could have if I were in a brick-and-mortar school while still having time for personal things like hobbies and family time,” Amy said. “I've met so many wonderful people from students to teachers that have helped me so much along this journey. I feel without OCA, I wouldn't have accomplished, learned, or be where I'm at today.”