2024 A smiling Edge High School graduate receives diploma on stage and shakes hand with Edge teacher.

When Cassandra Ashcraft enrolled at Edge High School, she knew she was running short on time to graduate. With just one year left to complete high school before the age 21 cutoff, Cassandra didn’t want to lose all the hard earned credits she had already gained. She was ready to graduate and move forward – on her own terms.

After a few summer conversations with Dave Thatcher, Principal at Edge Northwest, and Greg Cooper, Social Studies teacher at Edge Northwest, Cassandra was set with a plan and the motivation to obtain her high school diploma. 

Cassandra buckled down and got to work. She signed up for 3 classes at a time and completed them at her own pace; which was rather quickly. As soon as she finished a course, she started on the next one in her learning plan without waiting for a new quarter or semester to get started. 

Not only did Cassandra earn all her credits in time to graduate before the age of 21, she finished her classes a month before the end of the school year!

Cassandra credits her success to the 1:1 support and encouragement she received from caring teachers at Edge. She tried multiple schools before coming to Edge but never felt like she had found the right combination of help and personal attention. The family atmosphere here – the connection, shame-free environment, and small setting – provided the perfect place to complete her courses: 

Shout out to Greg for believing in me and not letting me give up even when I wanted to. When I felt like I had too much work to do and not enough time to do it, Greg sat with me and we made a plan. Without the support from the staff at Edge, Greg believing in me as much as he did, I probably wouldn’t have finished.

When asked about her favorite memory from the year she spent at Edge, Cassandra said that it was completing her Algebra 2 class, despite (or maybe in spite of?) the fact that she previously hated math:

I spent long hours doing math with Dave from 8am to 4pm trying to get math done. I had given up trying to finish high school while at other schools because I didn’t have the support I needed to help me. Dave knew I wanted to graduate and he took the time out of his day to help me understand math in a different way and supported me through all of it.

Now that she has graduated, a world of opportunities has opened up for Cassandra. She’s currently working with the VCA Animal Hospital and looks forward to furthering her education to become a vet tech and eventually a livestock veterinarian.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Cassandra! Your commitment to completing your courses is admirable and sets an excellent example for other students just like you. We’re infinitely proud of your success story! 

Can you identify with Cassandra’s story? Are you close to graduation but need a little support to get you over those last few hurdles? Let Edge help. We’re enrolling and we can’t wait to read your success story. Call or set up a tour today.

About Edge

EDGE is a Cognia accredited, tuition-free, charter high school, with two campuses in the greater Tucson area. We provide an alternative to traditional education, meeting the diverse learning and life needs of our students with our blended curriculum and flexible morning or afternoon class schedules. Our high-quality, passionate teachers are dedicated to individualized instruction in our small academic classes. Be you. With us. At Edge.