Natalia Beans, DSHA ’23, is a determined young woman. She is committed to working hard for a fruitful future and remaining connected to those around her, opportunities she can take advantage of thanks to her need-based scholarship. Although Beans was a fully virtual student in the 2020–21 school year, she worked to engage herself in her schoolwork and form relationships outside of an in-person classroom environment — proving nothing is standing in her way.
— in the 2020–21 school year so she will be prepared to take AP Calculus as a senior. Not only did she jump into these rigorous courses, but she also studied them while unable to step foot in the physical classroom.
Pursuing Academic Excellence in Community By Madeline Zukowski, DSHA ‘11
Growing up, Natalia Beans, DSHA ’23, had high expectations placed on her, coupled with family members who showed her the importance of working hard to achieve. “I know that I should have a purpose in life,” she said. “I owe it to myself, and to the world, and mainly to God to make a change in the community or even in the world. The best way to get there is to challenge myself academically.” A student who enjoys science and mathematics, Beans chose to take Honors Chemistry and two math courses — Geometry and Honors Algebra II 19
BECOMING A SELF-ADVOCATE Due to a combination of factors, including protecting her own health (Beans is a cancer survivor, now 12 years in remission), and having an elderly grandmother living at home, Beans made the difficult decision to learn virtually throughout the entirety of the school year, both during months of hybrid instruction and when most students came back full-time in the spring. But just because she was learning virtually didn’t mean she was any less connected than her peers in the classroom. DSHA had the ability to livestream students who were learning virtually into the classroom, and virtual students were expected to attend their classes. English Faculty Andy Lelinski and Mathematics Faculty Dawn Gardner both noted that Beans went above and beyond, and was not only present, but was also a self-advocate for her own education while learning virtually. “I wanted to participate (while I was virtual),” Beans said. “It wasn’t that being virtual made me quiet or silent, it made me want to participate more and get my opinions out there … I wanted to show everyone and even myself that your typical virtual student isn’t just someone who turns off their camera and sneaks away from class. You can work and learn virtually. It’s going to be harder, clearly, but that’s why it was so important to me to participate more.” POWER IN NUMBERS When preparing to take challenging courses within the boundaries of virtual learning, Beans first set her mentality straight. She kept reminding herself that this was the not the time to neglect her studies and placed
