For junior Satchel Bell, being an actress came naturally: "I began acting in life before acting on stage ... I was a very dramatic child!" For the last few years, Satchel has brought that native talent to life in commercials, music videos, movies, and off-Broadway. Soon she will be appearing in a guest role on a popular TV show ― all while pursuing a top-notch education as a student in Dwight's Open World School.

Our Open World School offers students in grades 9-12 from around the world a wide range of IB and AP courses taught by Dwight master teachers online or in a blended environment ― each student has a rigorous college preparatory experience and no two student journeys are the same.

"I've wanted to go to college ever since I was little. I also wanted to be an actress. My mother let me pursue that dream as long as I did my best in school," explains Satchel. With online classes at Dwight, I can do both ― pursue what I want in life, thanks to the program's flexibility, and achieve academic success at the same time."

Satchel's schedule, like that of all young working performers, is jam-packed. She lives in South Jersey, not far from Philadelphia, where she takes a writing course in the University of Pennsylvania's Young Scholars Program, and travels to New York three days a week to audition and for bookings. Shortly, she will add acting classes at the illustrious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Manhattan to her calendar. Despite this busy schedule, Satchel is not concerned about keeping up with her schoolwork. "My Dwight teachers are there with support and to answer questions whenever I need them. They want to ensure my success," she says. "I wasn't sure that level of connection and personalized attention would be possible with an online program and I'm thrilled that they are."

Satchel is also delighted to find her online classes so challenging. "Dwight has taught me that I can broaden my knowledge of so many things ... it has opened up many different avenues to knowledge and so many new ideas are presented to me as I log on!"

Satchel's excitement for learning and acting is matched by her enthusiasm for writing; she hopes to add journalist or screenwriter to her list of credits. She already pens a lifestyle blog that includes movie reviews; and has earned impressive recognition with Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: one gold key for poetry, two silver keys for fiction, and one honorable mention for poetry.

College is not that far in Satchel's future. As she looks ahead to continuing her education, we look forward to seeing Satchel on our Upper West Side campus soon when she meets with our college counselors and the rest of the Dwight community!