Finding Home Miles Away: Nawal Rasheed’s Journey at UT High School

Growing up in Lebanon, Nawal Rasheed had attended an American international school filled with friends from around the world. That multicultural environment wasn't just comfortable‚ it was part of who she was. When her family relocated to Islamabad, Pakistan, she began searching for a way to preserve that sense of global community. The answer came in an unexpected form: UT High School, thousands of miles away in Texas.

"I wanted to still have that connection," Nawal explains. "Even though I'm not physically in Texas, it's a nice way to meet people and contribute to ideas that make online school feel more connected."

Now a senior, Nawal began her UTHS education halfway through freshman year. She has spent three and a half years navigating the unique challenges and rewards of virtual education from halfway around the world. The time zone difference alone‚ 11 hours ahead of Texas‚ requires careful planning and flexibility.

But it's those very challenges that have taught her valuable lessons. The initial loneliness of freshman year, logging into classes without the immediate social connections of a physical school, gradually changed as she discovered other students seeking the same sense of belonging. She connected with classmates across Asia‚ Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and beyond‚ who understood what it meant to be part of a global community.

"You'd be surprised," Nawal reflects. "There's a bunch of students with different likes, dislikes, and it really becomes a fun part of the online school experience, because you'll find people with completely different opinions or ideas or things that they like, but at the same time you want to learn more about them for that same reason."

The flexibility of online learning has given Nawal opportunities she might not have had in a traditional school setting. She can work at her own pace, manage her schedule around the time difference, and engage with her education in ways that suit her learning style. For students who struggled with the rigid structure or social pressures of physical schools, UTHS offers a different path‚ one where they can express themselves more comfortably and work within boundaries that feel right for them. Nawal is an active volunteer, working with an organization that helps empower women to start small businesses. She has always been interested in art, including sketching, digital art and painting and is an avid reader.

Through her involvement in Student Council, as vice president last year and president this year, Nawal has seen how determined students are to build genuine connections despite the distance. What started as student-organized communication channels has evolved into clubs, activities, and opportunities for collaboration that rival any traditional school. The lines between students in the International Diploma program and the Texas Diploma program are blurred, she explains.

“The best part is the teamwork and collaboration,” says Nawal of the Student Council experience. “You get to work with different people with different experiences, and then everyone comes up with their own ideas. It's fun and innovative but at the same time it is really heartwarming. You get to connect with all these brilliant minds and have so many peers working alongside you.”

For Nawal, UT High School has become more than just a virtual classroom. "It's a really wonderful school for students who want the opportunity to connect with others and have this global community, even though it is miles apart," she says. She notes that although she was shy about communicating with teachers initially, she has been able to build real relationships with her teachers, too, starting with the live classes she attended.

UTHS is a place where Nawal found her community again‚ proving that "home" isn't always about geography. It's about finding people who understand your journey, wherever in the world they might be.