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In November, Bridgeway Academy online high school student Taylor Lawson achieved a lifelong dream by signing a National Letter of Intent to continue her education and compete in gymnastics at Stanford University.
My main goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon, which I know this university will help me accomplish, and athletically, I want to become an NCAA All-American.” —Taylor Lawson
International Competitor, Demanding Schedule
She already is an All-American in other ways. Taylor is a member of the 2016 USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Team. She spent Thanksgiving in Germany helping the U.S. teams take the top two spots on the podium at the Hamburg Gymnastics 16 Turnkunst International.
Taylor, who turned 17 in November, has put as much hard work into her homeschooling as she has into her gymnastics. She is a success in both academics through online high school, and athletics. She takes AP courses and is part of Bridgeway’s NCAA-cleared Homeschool Program that takes care of all the details to ensure students receive the academic accreditation and documentation necessary for NCAA eligibility.
Online High School Success
As an elite athlete, Taylor spends countless hours honing her physical abilities at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pa. She arrives at the gym by 8:30 a.m. and leaves around 5 p.m. on a daily basis. She completes online high school courses during breaks, after arriving home for the night, as well as on the road, even in the air when she’s jetting to competitions.
Taylor was always academically and athletically gifted. She won her first gymnastics meet as a 2-year-old. She skipped the fifth grade while in private school and enrolled at Bridgeway for seventh grade.
“Bridgeway has helped me tremendously because of the scheduling flexibility they have,” Taylor said of her online high school. “All of my teachers know when I have competitions and understand that some assignments may not be there on time. We plan our schedule around when I need to be gone. I love all my teachers there. They’re so helpful and have given me the foundation I needed to get into Stanford.”
Gymnastics Success
Parkettes owners Bill and Donna Strauss, and all her coaches, were thrilled when the news came that Taylor received the scholarship to Stanford.
“They were super excited,” she said. “This has actually been a lifelong goal. I started thinking about Stanford when I was 12 years old. When [former Bridgeway student and Parkettes teammate] Elizabeth Price went there, I fell in love with it.”
Taylor competes as a Level 10, the highest Junior Olympic level. She qualified and competed at the Elite level—best of the best—in 2012, but stepped back to Level 10 in 2015. At the Elite level, she competed as a junior in the 2014 USA Gymnastics Championships, and as a senior at the 2015 Secret U.S. Classic. This year, she earned a fourth-place in All-Around in the Senior A Division at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Junior Olympic National Championships.
Congratulations!
Everyone at Bridgeway Academy is extremely proud of Taylor’s accomplishments, dedication, and determination. Best of luck in your very bright future!
In order to achieve their athletic dreams, elite athletes like gymnasts, soccer players and hockey players sometimes require the flexible academic schedules available by homeschooling with an online high school. They also need to remain NCAA-eligible. If you want to find the best academic program for your student-athlete, please give Bridgeway Academy a call at 800-863-1474 to talk to one of our helpful advisors. You can also check out all the details of our NCAA-eligible program.
