Being at OSSM can be challenging. Natalie believes that students must have grit to persevere through difficult times and make it to good ones. “I chose OSSM because the education is so much more challenging than the one I could have received elsewhere.” Career Goal: General Surgeon

OSSM has been an amazing experience for me. Although the classes are challenging, they interest me and stimulate my mind in ways that my home school never could. However, the community has had the most profound impact on me; it is clear to me that wherever I go, I will never meet people or have a community quite like the one at OSSM.

OSSM has opened up so many new doors to me and has given me the chance to meet new people and explore the person I want to be. This place is unlike any other and it is overall amazing to be here.

The past two years, I’ve had the privilege to help a team of doctors with Alzheimer’s research. I’ve learned a great deal from this experience, but most importantly, I’ve discovered that my curiosity for the way the brain functions is endless. I find that each piece of new information I learn leads to more questions that I want answers to. I am excited to learn more as I pursue a degree in neuroscience and prepare for medical school

Coming from rural Oklahoma, my ambition to be an aerospace engineer didn’t draw out many peers or mentors from my community.  Besides the academic growth that came from attending, OSSM  impacted me by helping me grow extensive peer and professional networks, which have since led to several exclusive opportunities.  Since graduating in Spring 2018, I have completed two summer internships with The Boeing Co. and written a proposal accepted by NASA.

OSSM is such a special place. Being here, I’ve been able to explore the forefront of STEM which has helped me decide the direction of my future studies.

OSSM is an experience that breaks me down, but builds me up. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and exposed my weaknesses. But it gave me the environment to motivate myself in any given challenge and grow stronger along with the rest of our community.

In so many ways, my experience at OSSM grew me as a person by completely breaking down and rebuilding my perception of an excellent education. Not only was I able to experience a competitive yet collaborative school culture, but I learned much more than I ever thought possible.  

OSSM changes you in a way that you don’t initially see or realize. It’s only now, looking back on where I am and where I could have been, that I can see how my time at OSSM changed my life completely. OSSM challenged me academically, physically, and psychologically, bringing me experiences and opportunities that I could never have even imagined. These experiences are priceless to me; I would not trade them for the world.