Stellar’s Shining Stars: How Virtual School Supports Student Success
Our community is full of extraordinary families who exemplify our mission statement: empower families, unleash potential. And while each and every student deserves to have their hard work highlighted, today we spotlight the extraordinary accomplishment of one shining star.
Leylianna Foster is an 11th grader and bright member of the Stellar Constellation. Already the editor of Angelinali-TV on YouTube, she recently followed in her mother’s footsteps to publish her own book titled Just Keep Going. Our team had the pleasure of interviewing both mother and daughter to discuss her accomplishment, talk about her journey, and see how her time at Stellar has inspired her future goals.
Join us in celebrating Leylianna!
An Interview with A Shining Star
“Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself, where you're from, and what you're interested in?”
Leylianna: I was born in Cleveland, Texas, but it's technically Houston. I really like music. That's why I drifted into playing the piano because I felt like it was one of the easier instruments for me. I'm learning Korean. That's been my big focus this year. Hopefully I can be fluent in the next five to six years and I can eventually go to Korea and just travel and experience life out there because I like seeing different places, and I feel like that's interesting, just seeing different parts of history and different parts of the world.
“I'm curious to know what helped you stay on track while balancing writing your book, attending virtual school, and doing all these really cool hobbies like learning Korean. I bet that's really hard.”
Leylianna: It's difficult. Some days I fly with flying colors. But sometimes I struggle with learning Korean. Certain words I get so frustrated I have to close out the app and try again the next day. But that's the beauty in it. Just learning something new and different without stopping and quitting and leaving it behind. And I feel like I've been doing great so far.
[Also] I had two bunnies while I was in virtual school — they’ve now passed away unfortunately — but they really helped me throughout Texas Virtual. Just sitting there feeding them, watching them, and playing around with them on a daily basis.
“What surprised you the most about online school? When did you feel like it was finally clicking with you?”
Leylianna: It started to hit me, I had to get used to the schedules, a more free schedule, logging in, signing in to work. But after those six months, I've been balancing out all of my work. Now I can finish, and study other things that I have to do, like I said, playing the piano and doing Korean. I feel like those two things besides school work that play a part in my life right now and what's guiding me into my future. And, it's an eye opening thing for me.
“Are you able to share a specific moment with a teacher or counselor that made a difference for you?”
Leylianna: Miss Lisa, she came I think last year for testing and brought me a new computer. She came and was very welcoming, engaged with me, and we sat there and talked about a bunch of things. [Miss Lisa] was playing with my bunny at the time, Ariana, and we had a very wholesome experience. She’s helped me a lot, because, as my counselor, she's really been vocal and adamant about helping me get through challenges. If I can't reach out to a certain teacher or have difficulties, I just reach out to her and she'll be right on time.
I had a meeting with I think it was Lisa and I think Ashley Newton if I'm pronouncing that correctly. They both had a meeting with me about my graduation plan. I feel like that really helped me a lot, seeing the future and thinking about what I'm going to do after school.
“I'm really curious to know how going to online school affected you as an up and coming author.”
Leylianna: When I was writing my book last year, I mean, I didn't really feel many challenges or difficulties that I feel like I would have experienced if I did go to public school. I feel like Texas virtual really has helped me a lot in the process of making my book. So, I do appreciate you guys.
“What inspired you to write your book and what was the process of starting it?”
Leylianna: I mean, it's my mom. She is an author, but it's not just the fact that she's an author. It's just that, one day I was just sitting on the couch with her and we were just talking about just whimsical things and fantasy novels that we like and I was like, “why don't I write a book?” It was just as simple as that. And one day I just came up to my mom and said, "Hey, I'm finished with my book." I didn't, like, drag on the process. I didn't write one page in a book and I was like, "I'm writing a book. This is my process." I waited till I finished and I knew I was finished with my project. And then I came to her and I expressed and I showed her my finished project.
“That's amazing! Are you able to share the premise of the book?”
Leylianna: It's titled Just Keep Going, and it's a three-part series about resilience, identity, and refusing to be defined by basic labels, like the regular stereotypes that many people deal with - just different backgrounds, period. The first part is about three girls. One girl is Japanese, one girl is a white woman from Kentucky, and then one is from Houston, Texas, where I'm from. It's kind of based off of me as a black girl, but with a different name quite naturally. And yeah, it's just about breaking stereotypes and coming together as a whole and pushing those stereotypes to the curb to become a team.
When you're in school, you have those groups of smart kids, the jocks, the emo kids, the kids in between, and all of these different cracks and crevices, which we like to put people in, even though they’re their own beings. They don't have to be subjected to this at all.
We live in a male-dominated world. There is even a disconnect with that. Us as women, we do see different pay grades. We see women do just as much work, work just as hard, but they do not get the equivalent of pay. That's not even a color thing.
“Were there any challenges you faced when it came to navigating writing a book while also doing virtual education? How did you overcome any of those obstacles, like writer's block or even just navigating a routine, balancing school and writing? Have there been any teachers that helped you through it all?”
Leylianna: Lisa has helped me. She's probably one of the biggest names that I can throw out there because she has helped me with multiple occasions.
And routine wise: so it will be, like, the whole week I'll do my work from Monday through Friday, and then the weekend I'll just write down a few chapters. It can be a few words or just some ideas. It took a while but I'm happy with the finished project most definitely.
“Would you recommend Stellar? Why or why not?”
Leylianna: Yes, I would. And the reason why is because, like I said, personally, it helped me with just seeing life how it is. I'm not at eight hours of school with other students. I'm with my mom and I can see the problems and the reality of black women, the struggles of being a black lady coming into womanhood. I feel like my mom, she gave me great insight.
I feel like I probably would have got that, if I did go to public school, but I probably wouldn't have listened, because I would have had other influences that are in schools and public schools - just students, friends and stuff, small things that influence teenagers period, especially in this generation. It gave me a new way of thinking completely and it opened my eyes to reality, what I'm going to face as a young woman coming into the world.
“I want to ask you one more question if that's all right. Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about attending virtual school?”
Leylianna: Just focus on what you need to do. That's what I personally do. I don't think about it. I'll just turn on music and I'll just get my work done. I feel like I get my work done faster when I do have motivational things around me such as music. It can be small things, just entertainment on TV. I feel like that's, good example.
People think that homeschooling is easy as apple pie, but you still have to do your work regardless. And, after you do your work, you'll feel good about yourself. Just keep studying and keep trying.
Up And Coming
It’s eye-opening to hear a student’s journey in their own words, and we’re ecstatic to be a part of each and every Stellar student story. Thank you so much Leylianna for your time and allowing us to be a part of your journey to the stars! We’re excited to see the release of your book alongside the rest of your growth in your remaining time here with our community.
Empowering students to use their unique voices, while allowing them the space, safety, and support to unleash their potential is what every member of the Stellar community strives for. But, Insights is all about providing, well, insights for the whole Stellar family — parents included!
Next up, we have an interview with Angelina Taylor, Leylianna’s mother, who gives a parent’s perspective and tips for other parents of online students. Make sure to follow our Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts to know when new posts are coming out. And, of course, keep an eye out for Leylianna’s debut novel Just Keep Going!
