Success at Collegiate - Meet Kristine
Kristine Patel is a member of the junior class at Collegiate Charter school of Lowell and one of several juniors who have attended Collegiate since it opened nine years ago. She enrolled in the public charter school as a third grader and quickly learned that there was a lot more to school than she had previously experienced.
Kristine is deaf in one ear, which made her early experience with school more challenging than for most kids. She didn’t always hear what the teacher was saying in class, so she missed out on important information. That changed when she began at Collegiate.
“Collegiate made it better for me because they put me in the front of class and got me a hearing device,” she recalls.
Once on an even playing field with her peers, Kristine became a better student. Supported by the school’s approach to teaching and learning, she excelled.
“The curriculum at Collegiate is more challenging, which is honestly nice because I am able to challenge myself,” she says. “I have learned new skills and techniques to learn.”
Complementing her academic skills, Kristine has developed important life skills through her involvement in the SABIS Student Life Organization® at the school. She held the top spot in the student-run organization as a 9th grader. In that role, she oversaw and managed all nine SLO® departments.
“Throughout the years, I have been able to develop leadership, communication, and many other skills by working with other students in SLO®,” she says. “It’s a unique organization because students basically get to run the school in a way.”
Kristine’s involvement in SLO® has shown her the value of helping others.
“My goal is to create something new in IT or computer science that helps people out,” she comments about her future aspirations.
Kristine’s interest in and aptitude for math are bound to help her achieve her future goals. She is currently taking Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics at Collegiate and will add AP Calculus next year as a senior. She is clearly up for a challenge, and her determination and persistence will serve her well next year, in college, and beyond.
“At Collegiate, I’ve learned never to give up. Just keep pushing through because one day you’ll get better at it.”
