Choosing to attend a virtual school may be a difficult decision for one to make. There may be obstacles to face throughout this process, but most students part of our wonderful school, iUniversityPrep, would never regret their decision to join. Among those who believe in this notion, one particular student changed his life by enrolling in iUP.  He is no other than the subject of this article today: Yahia Osman.

As most of his 10th-grade peers probably know, Yahia Osman is a student with a very bubbly and friendly personality and the embodiment of iUP’s community agreements. At any given time in Live Lesson, you can expect the amazing student to be accompanying the teacher on the webcam, constantly asking inquisitive questions, and encouraging his fellow peers. However, this was not always the case for Yahia as before moving to iUP, he had been severely bullied in the brick-and-mortar schooling system. This led to emotional and mental scarring as he was taken advantage of for being too nice. 

After enrolling in and attending our virtual school, Yahia’s mental health improved as he could finally embrace his true self. He also started using all of the unique advantages that online schooling provides for its students—this includes working ahead, flexibility in schedule, grace for overdue assignments, the freedom of not having to go to a school building, and the opportunity to join great clubs—hence him becoming a Staff Assistant for our wonderful school newspaper! Thanks to iUP, Yahia’s life changed for the better. As Yahia stated in an interview: “I don’t feel constantly humiliated and targeted (anymore). iUP has allowed me to accept who I truly am.” This powerful statement encapsulates some of the core values in iUP, including mutual respect and the power of positive expressions. According to Yahia, the greatest thing about iUP is that it is a very accepting environment, no matter how long you have attended. 

Once judged and bullied for his personality, he’s now appreciated by our community. As always, Yahia is on the lookout to spread his kindness and make more friends—don’t hesitate to reach out to him personally!

Interview with Yahia

What is the first thing that you noticed about iUP that made you enjoy the online schooling process?

Yahia: “The first thing I personally noticed about iUP was definitely the fact that bullying didn’t seem to be a thing in this school, and after my past experiences it made me feel great and also as I could finally be my true self.”

What are some emotional changes that you experienced from brick & mortar compared to iUP?

Yahia: “The biggest emotional change is definitely that I don’t feel constantly targeted and humiliated. iUP has allowed me to accept who I TRULY am. Another thing is that I feel more free because I’m not in a building for 7 hours a day not being able to do much of anything, I am able to take breaks when I want and have that time to recalibrate.”

How do you say that you have benefited from joining iUP?

“I have benefitted for sure because I feel like I am more sure of myself and I love myself much more than I used to. Of course, another thing that helps is having amazing friends in and out of school and also the clubs like iHoot that give me an opportunity to show off my full personality without having to worry about judgment.”

What is the best thing about your current experience at iUP?

Yahia: “I think the best thing for me is the flexibility in this school, that feeling of not having to submit things right on the day and that it’s okay if I miss a meeting or two, nobody is going to judge me for it.”

If there was one thing that you could change about iUP, what would it be?

Yahia: “One thing that I would change is where the many events that take place so that as many people in the school can benefit the cause personally, being in the San Antonio area, the closest events to me are in Austin or in a city between which travel isn’t usually an option.”