A go-getter his whole academic life, Nolan Smith started at Pivot his freshman year of high school after realizing he could be more productive outside of a traditional classroom.

When he was in middle school, Nolan felt many of his classmates were not there to learn and often found himself distracted. He discovered Pivot and immediately knew it would be a good fit for him and his goals and priorities. 

Nolan’s family owns a farm with chickens and sheep and they often take fishing trips or long bike rides. He felt constrained during the eight hours a day at his traditional school to then only come home and spend more hours on homework. With Pivot, Nolan found flexibility in his education and schedule that allowed him to pursue his many interests and develop new skills.

“At Pivot, I can do my work whenever I can,” Nolan said. “I’m on my own and, if I want, I can do class in the middle of the night or just in my free time. This is so helpful so I can have other time to go outside, do chores, or just have fun.”

Because of Nolan’s flexible schedule and enthusiasm for learning, he started taking classes at the local junior college to both earn dual credits at Pivot and study new things. He has already successfully completed a welding class and a golfing class and is preparing to take a drone class this semester. Though Nolan doesn’t plan on pursuing these skills as a long-term career, he enjoys being able to try new things and uncover his passions. 

“Pivot has been awesome,” Nolan said. “You have to have good self-motivation but I’ve really, really enjoyed the experience. It’s been very helpful for me to get work done and have extra free time to spend doing things I love.”

Now a junior, Nolan is already on track to graduate a few months early next year.