Simon Youth Foundation student starts at his Academy, goes on to dream job

Zachary Nordyke, like a lot of 18-year-olds, has big dreams for his future, and they begin with service to his country and the U.S. Marine Corps. Nordyke, who lives with his mom in Northwest Phoenix, Ariz., says he’s always considered a military career.

“I have family and friends who have served in the military, and they are good, respectable people,” Nordyke says. “I wanted to pursue a career that would give me the same qualities that I admired in others.”

Zachary Nordyke

Nordyke is set to report to Marine boot camp on Sept. 6, 2011, but has faced having to delay his enlistment, putting his dream job on hold, until he earns his high school diploma, something that Nordyke has long struggled to do.

“High school had been a challenge since freshman year, because I could never find the right atmosphere for me to focus on learning. I bounced around to four different schools before I came to the Simon Youth Academy at Metrocenter Mall in August, 2010,” he says.

These days, Nordyke no longer worries about delaying his military service, because the flexible learning schedule and the dedication of the educators at his Simon Youth Academy have put him on track to complete before Sept. 1 his last required credits for graduation. Additionally, Nordyke’s diploma will come from the Glendale Union High School District, the Phoenix-area school system that partners with Simon Youth Foundation to sponsor the academy.

“Other alternative programs that serve our community are not aligned with local public school districts and may not be accredited as a result,” says Janet Johns, a teacher at the Simon Youth Academy at Metrocenter Mall. “The academy’s connection to an accredited school system was essential for Zach if he was going to pursue his dream.”

“One of the Marine Corps’s basic requirements for enlistment is a high school diploma from an accredited school,” says Marine recruiter Sgt. Marvin Lewis, whose office also is located in Metrocenter Mall. “Zach is going to get his high school diploma because of the second chance the Metrocenter Academy offers students, which makes him a better person and a better Marine Corps applicant.”

“The teachers here have really made the difference, because they really care and have made me understand the importance of earning my diploma before starting a professional career,” Nordyke says.

Nordyke says he had tried online high schools and other alternatives before the Simon Youth Academy was recommended to him.

“I’ve been kept on track, and I am enjoying school for the first time, because the system here works for students who have had a hard time finding the right fit,” Nordyke says. “The academy teachers have refused to let me fail.”

With a passion akin to drill instructors, the lessons in dedication and loyalty provided by his SYF teachers may serve Nordyke well as a Marine. He’ll return to the academy in December after boot camp is complete to graduate with classmates who also will complete their required course work in the fall.

“He’ll be here in his uniform, and we will all be so proud of him,” Johns says. “We are so proud of all of our students.”