While many Pivot students complete their schoolwork from home, Jackson Boaz, sophomore at Pivot North Bay, prefers to work on assignments while serving as a volunteer organizer for political campaigns – most recently for one of the senators running in Georgia’s runoff election in January.
After working on campaigns supporting U.S. Senate candidates from California, Boaz said he knew he wanted to continue to work on campaigns in the fall of 2020 because it was such an important election. But after his previous high school cancelled its independent study program because of the pandemic, Boaz decided to enroll at Pivot.
“Pivot seemed like a really excellent way for me to still do high school, still do the work and still learn while not being stuck in that ultra-structured classroom environment,” Boaz said. “Pivot was a perfect fit because it allowed me to still pursue my real passion – working on campaigns and making a difference.”
Pivot’s unique blended education program provided Boaz with the flexible schedule and pace he needed to relocate to Georgia to work on a campaign there.
“I really enjoy the structure of the classes and how it’s a very asynchronous, individualized learning structure, which is good for me because I learn in a different way than is taught in traditional classrooms,” Boaz said.
When he wasn’t completing his work for Pivot, Boaz was either helping field organizers build its field operation in Atlanta or working on digital organizing, including supporting a shortcode texting program.
Despite completing the majority of the fall semester from the East Coast, Boaz was still able to utilize Pivot’s digital learning expertise to continue his education and stay connected to his peers and educational coordinators.
“To find Pivot and be able to utilize this different form of education and actually enjoy high school while continuing working for different political campaigns has been so fulfilling,” Boaz said.
Boaz hopes to graduate high school early and either go to a college in Washington, D.C. or continue working on political campaigns. He hopes to one day work in the White House or as a Senate chief of staff.