Alumni Spotlight
Demonstrating Excellence, Service, and Leadership
Hanna
Champion Horse Rider
I’ve been riding horses since before I could walk, and started showing horses at age 5. Entheos helped teach me how to balance priorities and be able to manage on my own, but the biggest takeaway I have is the confidence I built there. In college, I rescued an abused horse and have taught him to trust and have confidence in me. We've won at multiple shows, including “Sport Horse Dressage Suitability” and “Sport Horse Hunter Suitability." Thanks to Entheos, I learned that everyone deserves a second chance.
Hala
Champion Debater
I was on my high school's debate team! I competed in a few different events including public forum debate and impromptu speaking.
Throughout high school, I won some great awards, like first place at a limited entry tournament, quarter-finalist in a tournament at Arizona State University, and finalist in regional and state tournaments.
The award I'm most proud of is becoming the first person, along with my debate partner, from Copper Hills to qualify for the national Tournament of Champions!
I loved debate, but I couldn't have been successful in it without what I learned at Entheos. Class presentations helped me get used to public speaking, and getting to try all sorts of new things through my expeditions helped me be brave and confident enough to compete in debate. My teachers at Entheos always supported me, and gave me many opportunities that young people might not normally have, like running a debate club at Entheos. Even though I'm in college now, they continue to support me!
Cassandra
4-H Youth in Action Winner
I have been able to achieve some of my greatest dreams because of a spark that started at Entheos Academy! On several occasions I've had the opportunity to travel the world working with micro-finance nonprofits because I first put in the work to understand best business practices and how they would work in each culture. Because Entheos taught me to always keep an eye out for those in need, I have been able to truly make a difference through service. The school has been a big part of developing my sense of a higher purpose both working in my community and abroad.
Lita
Miss American Samoa
Being at Entheos contributed largely to who I am because it's where I first began to throw off the shell of who I had labeled myself to be as a little girl.
I had believed that I was a shy, timid girl with not much to say. I loved people, but I guess I didn't think a whole lot of myself.
I think being at Entheos after moving from my tiny island, gave me a chance to experience a lot of different things, all of the trips we went on and fun activities we had. Those were some of my fondest memories of being at Entheos, all the plays, the dance classes, where we would display stories and things we'd made at the end of the year. That was when I discovered myself as a writer and I really grew more confident in my abilities.
I also gained lifelong friends and grew through the teachers telling me that it's all how you look at things.
Jessica
International Humanitarian
I have been able to achieve some of my greatest dreams because of a spark that started at Entheos Academy! On several occasions I've had the opportunity to travel the world working with microfinance nonprofits because I first put in the work to understand best business practices and how they would work in each culture. Because Entheos taught me to always keep an eye out for those in need, I have been able to truly make a difference through service. The school has been a big part of developing my sense of a higher purpose both working in my community and abroad.
Sabila
State Patriot's Pen Winner
Winning the Patriot Pen writing contest was one of my favorite moments.
I entered in the Entheos Veteran's day writing competition originally, then because of Entheos' partnership with James from the Veteran's of Foreign Wars (VFW), my essay went on to their Patriot's pen contest and won at the state level.
When I entered the competition I didn't think I would win, but I had all the help in the world from my teacher and my family. When I found out I had won state, it was so exciting! This was one of the first things I have ever won, and I, and my family, were so proud.
The VFW had a special dinner for the winners, where I was given prizes and met James. James is still one of my good friends. Having the support from my teachers (who have also won awards from VFW!) made it a great experience.
Mitch
Computer Technology Sterling Scholar
I’ve been to many different schools in my life, and out of them all, I would say that I made the most friends in the shortest amount of time at Entheos.
The phrase that I always remember is “we are crew, not passengers.” I think that is what really differentiated Entheos from the other schools. My teachers, which we called “crew leaders,” treated each individual student as just that: an individual.
As Entheos did for everyone in my crew, they recognized my individual talents and fostered them, propelling me far beyond the expectations found in a more “traditional” school. In my case, this was a strong interest in computers, technology, and mathematics. I would often find myself asked to help fix teachers computers or projectors because they recognized my talent. Additionally, my crew leaders started after-school clubs that catered to my own and my friends’ interests, such as chess and advanced math.
Only after moving into a public high school did I realize how much Entheos had gone above and beyond. In high school, I had to take the initiative myself in order to not only find, but create opportunities. However, Entheos had prepared me for this, with two of the core values: Leadership and Individuality. I was able to take leadership of my own individual life.
While most of my peers in high school took a traditional path, I sought out my own adventure. Building on my interests and strengths that began to grow at Entheos, I took classes such as computer-aided design, programming, and other CTE classes. These skills have helped me earn multiple first place awards in competitions such as TSA and the Central Utah Science and Engineering Fair, as well as the title of Sterling Scholar Winner in Computer Technology for the Wasatch Front in 2016; a huge honor that has, in part, resulted in admittance into the University of Utah with scholarship, a job at Facebook in Seattle Washington as a Software Engineer, and a clear path towards a master’s degree in Computer Science.
In my free time, I do all of my own plumbing, carpentry, sheetrock work, auto repair, and anything else that requires a set of hands and some technical knowledge. If it can be done, I can do it; and I credit Entheos with giving me the encouragement to discover this in myself.