4/16/24

By University Communications

HAYS, Kan. - Several years after the COVID-driven involuntary homeschooling transition of 2019, the number of homeschooled K12 students is still approximately 51% higher than pre-pandemic. According to a study published by the Washington Post, 1.7 to 2.9 million children comprise the fastest-growing form of education in the United States.

Siblings Ariana, Brylie, and Brennan Jarnes of Grays Harbor, Washington, are three homeschoolers who transitioned from a homeschool education to get an early start on their academic careers at Fort Hays State University. Twins Brylie, Brennan, and then little sister Ariana each earned their high school diplomas and associate degrees by the ages of 19 and 18, respectively, by participating in their state's Running Start program. Running Start is a tuition-free program allowing 11th and 12th-grade students to take college courses at a Washington community or technical colleges where they earn high school and college.

With their high school diploma and associate degrees now in hand, it was time for the Jarnes siblings to explore their college options. Brylie and Brennan contacted two public universities in the Pacific Northwest. They found an unwillingness from these institutions to allow credit for their educational experiences and mandatory degree program courses they thought were inappropriate for the criminal justice major they wanted to pursue.

"One of the colleges had Trigonometry as a mandatory course," Brennan said. "My brother and I just couldn't see how this course and the extra cost and time to degree involved were worth it."

The brothers found FHSU Online while searching for affordable online programs.

"We quickly found out that FHSU had the program we wanted at a price we could afford," Brylie said. FHSU Online also offered them the most credit for their previous academic experiences and one other feature that they found invaluable:

"FHSU always responded to our questions and helped us from our first contact through our academic program," Brennan said. They both greatly appreciated the flexibility of their FHSU Online program since both needed to work while earning their degree.

Just a year younger, the twins' sister Ariana decided to follow in the footsteps of her brothers at FHSU. Like Brennan and Brylie, Ariana found FHSU Online the best fit for her academic goals and the demands of her full-time job as an in-home nanny.

"If you are a self-starter and manage your time well, you can learn a lot and be very successful at Fort Hays State," Ariana said. "I think Brylie, Brennan, and I all would say that our homeschooling experience prepared us well for college."

Ariana's major of choice was organizational leadership. One requirement of this program of study is an interdisciplinary course that provides the student with an awareness and understanding of current issues relating to the nature and tasks of collaborative leadership. The course is titled Leadership 493: Capstone in Leadership III, and the student is tasked with identifying an issue or problem and then leading an effort to address the project by developing and implementing a community project.

Ariana chose as her capstone community project an extension of her church’s outreach ministry with the Deaf community. The choice was easy for Ariana since she's been involved with the ministry work led by her mother for years. Through her work supporting her mother, Ariana recognized an opportunity for the church to better serve this community throughout Washington and the neighboring state of Oregon. Ariana had long noticed the lack of effort among various church communities to engage this population, and he wanted to change that.

Ariana secured an internship with the Washington Conference Deaf Ministry and worked to promote and expand participation in the Conference's annual Summer Deaf Camp. Her community project involved supporting the 15 camp staff members, managing marketing and social media promotions, and delivering administrative and logistical support.

Ariana's transition to a leadership role was smooth.

“Most of the church and Deaf Camp staff have seen me grow up and take on more and more responsibilities over the past several years,” Ariana said. “They’ve known me all my life and know how important this ministry is to me.”

Ariana, Brylie, and Brennan will graduate from FHSU in May. Ariana plans to become an American Sign Language interpreter.

"It will take around two years to earn this credential," Ariana said. With their criminal justice degrees in hand, Brylie and Brennan plan to start their careers in the legal field or the fish and game sector.

"We're both fascinated by the American legal system and how it changes over time to strike a balance between individual rights and safety," Brennan said. "We also grew up spending a lot of time in the outdoors hiking and fishing," Brylie said. "So, we are kind of drawn to working in this field as well."

Learn more about FHSU Online

With more than 200 online degree and certificate programs and innovative faculty and student resources to support you on your way, you will find that FHSU is the best value in online education—anywhere. Check out FHSU Online at fhsu.edu/online.