As we dive deeper into an age of technology, it is encouraging to see how technology can be used for good in the education sector. Though it’s difficult to track, iNACOL estimates there are millions of students across the U.S. who use supplemental online learning and hundreds of thousands of students who attend a full-time online school.

Supplemental online classes allow students to catch up on missed work or go ahead in areas of interest, and online schools provide endless opportunities for students with unique lifestyles or complex family schedules.

Online learning benefits many students across the country and around the world. To learn more about these benefits, we asked two students at Alpha Omega Academy, the accredited online school of Alpha Omega Publications, how online learning opens doors for them.

Malorie Lucas is a 6th grade student who travels around the country with her family in a fifth wheel trailer. They usually reside in Louisiana, but the family has traveled all over the United States. Malorie’s favorite place she’s visited is Lake Jackson, Texas, not far from the Gulf Coast.

Going to an online school has allowed her to easily balance school with travel because her curriculum all comes with her easily on her laptop! Malorie enjoys science because it’s interesting and fun, although she admits it can occasionally be difficult to find the space for everything she needs for science projects.

Overall though, online learning has opened the door for her to do her school when and where she wants loves, and she loves that that her online school allows her to see the U.S. with her family and visit new places.

Annabelle Hampton is a barrel racer from Arizona. She practices 3-4 hours every day to prepare for rodeos, which she participates in almost every weekend.

A senior at Alpha Omega Academy, Annabelle she enjoys math because she views the problems like puzzles that need solving. She loves her online school because of the flexible schedule. She can work ahead on her schoolwork, so she can take days off when traveling to rodeos.

Annabelle got into barrel racing at the age of nine when she started riding her neighbor’s horses and fell in love. She now competes in pole bending, goat tying, and breakaway roping. She was also named the Arizona High School Rodeo Queen.

“Online schooling has given me the time needed to run for Miss Arizona High School Rodeo Queen and represent our state at nationals in Rock Springs, Wyoming,” Annabelle said. “I feel very blessed to attend a school that allows me to achieve my dreams.”