Meet Elle 

Elle Perry is proud of her BYU heritage: “My father graduated from BYU and went on to become a doctor, my brothers graduated from BYU Online High School and went on to begin college at BYU . . . , and currently, my mother is finishing her degree to become a nurse with BYU Continuing Education.” So when it was time for high school, she chose to “follow in their footsteps” and enroll in the Flex program at BYU Online High School (BYU OHS).  

Elle’s BYU Online High School Experience

While the courses can be challenging, Elle says, “BYU OHS has taught me key principles like discipline and hard work.” As a student in the OHS Flex program, Elle can take courses on her own schedule and study at her own pace. This flexibility has helped her learn “time management because you have a lot of stuff going on. You have to find out how to balance it all—to get all your school done while doing all the things” outside of school. Finding balance is important to Elle because she also loves to spend time with her family, serving together in the community and working on projects that allow her to apply what she’s learning in her courses. 

Her favorite school subject is science, especially animal science, so “it’s no surprise,” she says, that the most memorable class she’s taken through BYU OHS is Veterinary Science: The Care of Animals. “It was the perfect fit for me, diving into fascinating topics like the spread of zoonotic diseases and teaching fundamental principles in the art of writing poisonous plant reports, checking for symptoms of contagious diseases, and other things.” 

Elle’s Work with Animals

Animals seem to instinctively trust Elle, and she is drawn to them, so she gets plenty of hands-on experience caring for them. Her family owns a chicken coop, and Elle is becoming especially skilled at working with their chickens. Her mom, Jess, says that Elle “is actually really good at identifying anything that’s wrong with them . . . different kinds of diseases, or vitamin deficiencies, or how to heal them and certain things to do.” Her sister, Lex, agrees that Elle “always knows what’s wrong with the chickens.” She says that Elle will research the treatments, and then Lex or their father, Ben, will often administer them. Elle says the sisters have a plan for when they grow up: Elle will be a vet and Lex will be a veterinary scientist. 

Elle loves to share what she’s learned about animals with her neighbors—and learn new things from them. She says, “Because I took the Veterinary Science class and we learn more about animals, I could share that with people, and then they could share their experiences with me, so we can both learn more.” 

For example, earlier this summer, Elle’s neighbors asked her to help their chicken, which was suffering from heat stroke and couldn’t walk. Elle learned how to make a sling to hold the chicken off the ground while it recovered so its wings or legs wouldn’t be damaged. Unfortunately, the chicken was removed from the sling earlier than Elle had advised, and it ended up in physical therapy because it developed a bone deformity from sitting on the ground too much.  

Elle has also worked with her parents to treat a chicken suffering from liver failure; the treatment included a delicate procedure to drain fluid from the bird’s abdomen, which had to be done regularly.  

“I was thinking, as we’re holding a chicken, draining off fluid,” says Jess, “Okay, is this really that important?” But then she considered, “What is my child learning?” Elle, she explains, is developing her talents beyond coursework and can say, “I love a pet.” And if something is wrong with that pet, Elle can say, “I’ve studied what’s happening in their body, what needs to happen in order to relieve pain.” Jess realized that their family had created the kind of environment where Elle can apply what she has learned at BYU OHS and then build on that knowledge. 

Final Thoughts

“BYU OHS is helping me achieve long-term goals and short-term goals,” says Elle. She feels that she’s receiving “an exemplary education” while completing smaller assignments “like learning how to write an adequate story” that will help her eventually achieve her bigger goals. 

What are some of Elle’s long-term goals? “It’s been my dream ever since I was young to attend BYU,” she says. “I plan on taking two semesters at BYU and then serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, another dream I can't wait to fulfill.” After that, “My preferred career choice would be a veterinarian scientist specializing in holistic medicine, but I'm open to the chance that the Lord has another path in mind.” 

Taking Independent Study courses through BYU Online High School has been the perfect way for Elle to move her education forward while getting plenty of real-life experience. She says, “BYU OHS is setting me on a path to achieving my goals, and I will be forever grateful for the person it is helping me become.” 

If you have a high schooler who, like Elle, wants to pursue a top-notch education with a flexible schedule that allows for plenty of hands-on experience and family time, consider enrolling your student in BYU Online High School.  

All ages—not just high school and college students—can benefit from the many programs and events offered by BYU Continuing Education. In 2023, we served more than 50 people in the Waco area. We hope you’ll join us in 2024 and beyond as you pursue lifelong learning and inspiration.