Academy of Home Education Graduate Spotlight

Jeff Kowalk, CPA

I believe homeschooling prepared me for the workplace (and my current role) because I had the ultimate student-to-teacher ratio 1:1. My mom chose BJU Press material because she knew its robust standards would provide the academic excellence my brothers and I needed. Her theory and work as a home educator proved out: when I got to the business world, I found that my communication skills were significantly above average. All the sentence diagramming and emphasis on proper grammar finally paid off! I was well-equipped in all subjects, and that gave me confidence going to college and entering the workforce.

The Academy of Home Education fulfilled an important role by helping us maintain legal and reporting requirements, but even more importantly, it provided peace of mind that my brothers and I would receive a high school diploma and be able to demonstrate the academic excellence my mom instilled through her teaching. As an added bonus, we actually participated in a graduation ceremony with all of our “classmates,” and I still maintain contact with some of them. In short, the AHE filled a vital role for accreditation, record keeping, support, and camaraderie. I don’t know who I’d be or what I’d be doing if my family had gone a different route, but I can confidently say that the AHE, BJU Press curriculum, and the homeschooling process definitely set me up for success in my current role as a CFO.