Interview with Pierson L., Class of 2023-24:

Pierson L., a recent graduate of NewHope Academy, reflects on his transformative journey at NHA, where he overcame personal challenges, built self-confidence, and discovered a passion for astronomy. Pierson’s story is one of resilience, curiosity, and ambition. Here’s a look at how NewHope played a pivotal role in shaping his future and fueling his aspirations.

Q: How did NHA help you overcome your challenges during your time at the school?

Pierson: When I first came to NewHope Academy, I was in a downward spiral, getting worse day by day. The moment I got to NewHope, I started to stabilize. And once I stabilized I could actually focus my time and effort, through the help of the people here, to actually try and get better.

Q: In what ways do you think you grew as a person during your time at NHA?

Pierson: Woah. Every single possible way – genuinely. Before coming to NewHope and before I started to spiral, I had problems with anxiety. All the way back to the age 4 or 5 – I have these memories of being a little kid and being very anxious. But after going through NewHope, I have almost zero anxiety, and a good amount of confidence. Which is nice – which is awesome! It’s something I never thought I would have, and now I do.

Q: How did NHA prepare you for post graduation?

Pierson: DVS (Development & Vocational Skills, class) was really very helpful – there’s a lot of different things we did in DVS, but they either focused on or had some kind of tangential relationship with confidence building. Being able to talk about yourself, advocate for yourself, and breaking life responsibilities into manageable “chunks.”

Q: How did your experience at NHA shape your values or worldview?

Pierson: With my worldview, pretty much everything. My sense of anxiety and the way I look at things is totally different. I would say I’m a lot calmer of a person, in every regard. And by extension, my world view is not very heated.

Q: If you could describe your experience at NewHope in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?

Pierson: hmm… exponential growth.

Q: Were there any teachers or classes that had a significant impact on you?

Pierson: Rob in English class. A lot of the pieces of media that we read or watched had a profound impact on me. Especially in the existentialist unit. My case manager Matt was very encouraging and helpful the entire time. And Meaghan’s math classes. When I was getting better, not all my classes gave me a solid challenge and I wanted to push myself. Meaghan was able to meet me where I was and give me more challenging work, which I really appreciated.

Q: What advice would you give current students at NHA?

Pierson: Take a step back. It’s something that took me a lot of personal reflection to realize, but there was a long period of time where I was caught up in my own thoughts. I didn’t look at the world around me and all the relationships around me – being able to take a step back and look at everything really helped get me out of that rut and start focusing on other interests.

Q: What are you currently doing, personally and career?

Pierson: After I graduated NewHope, I was looking for something to do over the summer as I had gained a lot of momentum. I found the Ciera Reach Program at Northwestern and applied on a whim. I was accepted and learned a massive amount about astronomy research – I’m now writing a research paper with the professor! I actually reached out and asked for the opportunity – it was the most nerve wrecking, pivotal thing that could happen to me but if I didn’t ask, the program would have ended, and my opportunity would have been gone! After the summer, I start classes at COD.

Q: What goals are you currently focusing on, and how did NHA help you develop the mindset to achieve them?

Pierson: Other than this research paper, I’m founding the astronomy club – I want to turn it into a big thing at COD! I have a lot of plans for presentations and outreach events, which would be very cool.

Q: How do your current goals reflect the values you developed during your time at NewHope?

Pierson: Confidence. Self-confidence. If you had asked me a year ago about any of these goals and if they were things I could accomplish, I would say absolutely not – not in the slightest bit. But NewHope has given me the confidence to set a goal, a goal that seems kind of lofty, and have the ability to work towards it.

Q: Have you taken on any leadership roles since graduating, and how did NewHope prepare you?

Pierson: I run the astronomy club in school, and I help coordinate events for the astronomy club outside of school. In the Ciera program I also assisted my group members with their work. NewHope prepared me for that because I was given opportunities to do similar things and help my peers. It definitely gave me an insight on how to talk to people, which is very important when doing leadership work.

Q: Sneak peak into the future – what are your big plans?

Pierson: I want to transfer to a 4-year school (ideally) after a year. I want to major in astronomy or physics and then get my PhD, ultimately ending in research.