May 2005

Online Learning Empowers Students

Yakama Nation Tribal High School, Mike Sekaquaptewa, Student

Mike Sekaquaptewa has plans. His first is to graduate from high school early; his second, to attend Dartmouth. “I want to graduate from a prestigious university with a four-year degree in a field pertaining to one of the arts—writing, visual, or performing,” Mike says.

Mike is currently a junior/senior at Yakama Nation Tribal High School. This year, he took his first online course through the DLC, a short story class offered by the UW Extension.

“I love the UW short story class because what I learned about is what makes a story work and tell effectively. I also learned how to analyze and interpret stories. With what I'm learning, I can not only apply it to writing but also television and movies alike,” Mike explains. “I have discovered writers that are new to me, and I enjoy them very much. William Carlos Williams (he's got a cool name), Mary Hood, Charles Baxter.”

A taste of what's to come in college

Mike says that the class gave him a good sense of what college classes will be like. And by taking a class through the Extension, he was given “membership” to the UW, which immersed him in the real world of campus life even though he’s miles away.

Mike received newsletters and emails from campus clubs and organizations, which gave him insight into college students' interests and what types of causes they get involved in.

Mike also made use of the DLC Library to look up author bios for the short story class. He says his favorite tool is netTrekker, because it’s a research tool that has already narrowed the field, which means Mike finds what he’s looking for quickly.

The value of online learning

This semester, Mike is taking Digital Photography through the DLC and really loving it. He values online learning because it "caters to different learning styles and paces. It also empowers a student to be more self-reliant…Learning is not just about the memorization of facts. You have to know how to access information on your own in order to be a life-long learner and an educated person."

Want to read more? Browse the Success Stories page.