ASU Preparatory Academy is a charter school that serves 7,000 students around the state at physical campuses (including one in Casa Grande) as well as with ASU Prep Digital.
Nearly 800 students graduated in May from the school chartered by Arizona State University after taking different paths to the cap and gown, including three from Pinal County who thrived under the digital education model.
Leia and Alex Dugan may not be twins, but the Casa Grande siblings received their high school diplomas together this spring. Leia, 19, is graduating on schedule, while her brother Alex, 18, decided to accelerate his education and graduate a full year early.
Coming from a family with eight kids (five adopted, including Leia and Alex), these graduates had front-row seats as their dad completed his undergraduate degree five years ago.
While enrolled at ASU Prep Digital over the last four years, Leia and Alex bonded as siblings and were given opportunities to explore their interests.
Leia embraced drama club, chess club and peer tutoring while Alex spent his spare time tending to his chicken flock. Leia discovered a love for English; Alex was a peer tutor all 4 years of high school, and was also in the Mu Alpha Theta-Math Honor Society.
Alex is headed to Northern Arizona University this fall to study engineering and eventually become a pilot, while Leia will be attending Central Arizona College and exploring career options, including teaching or nursing.
Senior year was a demanding one for graduate Lindsay Siebert. Fortunately, this Maricopa resident has made an art out of time management: she successfully juggled her senior classes, cosmetology school, competitive cheer practices and work.
“This year truly shaped me because I had so many things on my plate,” she says.
Now, all of that hard work is paying off. Lindsay, graduated magna cum laude and was among more than 600 students who participated in ASU Prep’s graduation ceremony at Desert Financial Arena on the ASU campus.
With her diploma in hand, Lindsay is already well on her way to a career in the beauty industry. She is enrolled in the cosmetology program at East Valley Institute of Technology, which she plans to complete in May 2025.
