Education + Life Experience: How Our Family is Raising Future Leaders

Authored by: Anna Lloyd, Executive Director of Task Force Argo

As parents, my husband and I always believed in fostering resilience, adaptability, and a readiness for the world beyond school walls. Our journey to finding the right education for our children hasn’t been conventional, but it has been incredibly rewarding. We’re both former Marines, and our shared values of leadership and strength have shaped our family’s approach to raising our children to become strong leaders in the future. Our story is one of blending academics with real-world experiences, teaching our children vital life and business skills that we hope will serve them for a lifetime.

It all began when our son, a bright and motivated student with a 3.8 GPA, came to us with a powerful realization. Despite his impressive achievements in the National Junior Honor Society, outstanding performance in sports, and proactive pursuit of summer classes, he felt unchallenged in his traditional school environment. Recognizing that his potential was not being fully realized and that he craved more, we sat down as a family to address his feelings of unfulfillment and to explore alternative educational paths to maximize his capabilities.

As a military family, we’d spent much of our lives moving every three years due to our assignments, constantly adapting to new places, so being flexible wasn’t new to us. But exploring a different kind of schooling felt like a leap into the unknown. Eventually, our search led us to Marian University Preparatory School (MU Prep), an online program offering a Catholic-based, flexible curriculum that aligned with our values and allowed our son to pursue his passions.

Joining MU Prep put us in good company with the 3.7 million K-12 students in the U.S. currently pursuing online education. I recently learned that this number has surged, not only due to the pandemic but also because more families are seeking flexibility and personalization in their children’s education. In fact, data reports that 65% of families who choose online education do so for reasons that go beyond the need for remote schooling, often citing benefits like flexibility, accessibility, and alignment with family values.

Our son’s online schooling allowed us to design real-world learning experiences that a traditional setting simply couldn’t. Last fall, we embarked on a nine-day road trip across the Northeast. Together, we visited Afghan American families, were left awe-struck at the beauty of Niagara Falls, explored historic sites in Boston including participation in a Boston Tea Party reenactment, toured the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, and even met with humanitarians in Ohio sending supplies to Hurricane Helene victims. During the trip, our son continued his sports training, stayed on top of his schoolwork, and managed Brody’s Store | eBay Stores his small business on the side—a venture he’s been building for five years. Along the way, he also learned budgeting, time management, and the responsibility that comes with planning and executing a major trip.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), students who engage in experiential learning, like field trips or hands-on activities, show stronger critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Our experience confirmed that—he retained so much from those days on the road and developed a new appreciation for the history and culture he learned about firsthand.

This flexible approach to education has also let us blend academics with life skills. Although my son misses his brick-and-mortar friends, he’s remained close with them through regular meetups, parties, and activities, staying connected while embracing his new learning path. Interestingly, research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) shows that students in non-traditional education settings tend to participate in an average of five extracurricular activities. This has been true for him; he stays busy with sports, his business, and connecting with peers, giving him a well-rounded experience.

MU Prep also gives us something we’d hoped for—a Catholic-based curriculum that reinforces our family’s faith. I feel so grateful that he’s learning in an environment that values the same things we hold dear while working in collaboration with us to help our son accomplish his goals.

Our commitment to flexible education mirrors my own career journey since retiring from the Marine Corps. I now work remotely with Task Force Argo, a nonprofit in support of Afghan allies and in partnership with the State Department. From my kitchen table, I’ve helped Afghan families find safe resettlement and fresh starts. Remote work has become integral to our lives, and our son has embraced it too. Nearly 45% of U.S. jobs now offer remote options, which tells me that the future will demand these skills. Our son is learning early to balance his studies, sports, and other responsibilities—all while managing his time independently.

As we prepare for an upcoming trip to Germany, I’m grateful for the flexibility MU Prep provides, allowing my son to continue his schooling without missing a beat. Our experience confirms recent studies that show personalized education can increase family satisfaction by as much as 76%. We’ve come to see that education isn’t just about grades; it’s about creating well-rounded individuals who are ready for the future.

For us, MU Prep has allowed our family to combine learning, life skills, and quality time in a way that traditional schooling couldn’t. This journey has been one of adaptability, curiosity, and growth. We’ve seen our son gain even more confidence, compassion, and a passion for lifelong learning, and we couldn’t be prouder. We hope our story inspires other families to explore what’s possible when you blend education with real-world experiences and focus on building tomorrow’s leaders right within your own home.