Shining a Spotlight on: Eighth-Grade Student Joy-Luz Ross-Lumsden
April 8, 2025
It’s not often that an eighth-grade student takes charge of her education and her future, but that’s exactly what Joy-Luz Ross-Lumsden has done. Today we shine a spotlight on this exceptional Holston Academy eighth-grader.
Holston Academy eighth-grader Joy-Luz Ross-Lumsden is wise beyond her years. It’s not often that a middle school student takes charge of her education and her future. But that’s exactly what Joy-Luz has done. Not only does she create her own school schedule and manage her time independently, but she is also a high-performing student with some big goals and plans for her future.
Making the Transition to Online Eighth Grade
While attending middle school in the San Francisco Bay Area, Joy-Luz just never felt comfortable. She was struggling to fit in and had trouble focusing in her classes. “In-person, school wasn’t a good fit for me,” she explains. “I’m autistic, and there were a ton of overwhelming stimuli, plus the socialization, and stricter standards.”
Concerned about her daughter’s middle school experience, Joy-Luz’s mom, Pamela, decided to explore alternative options. “Joy was having a hard time in middle school. We needed to find something that would allow her to be herself fully while also making sure she was getting a good education.”
That led to exhaustive research about online schools. Most of them, however, simply did not satisfy all of her and Joy-Luz’s standards. “We met with a ton of schools, and none of them met all of our requirements,” said Pamela. Until they found Holston Academy. “Holston had the one-on-one teaching method she wanted and the class catalog that I wanted.”
It turns out that online learning was exactly what Joy-Luz needed to unlock her full potential and truly be herself. In Joy-Luz’s words, “online school provided the learning space I needed to thrive.”
Taking Charge of Her Eighth-Grade Education
Despite her young age, Joy-Luz has shown remarkable time management and self-motivation skills–traits that are certain to help her in college and beyond. According to her teachers and Academic Coach, Joy-Luz fully dedicates herself to her education, especially when it comes to taking charge of planning…so much so that she actually finished her first semester of eighth grade early!
“I put different dates into the system as the completion date for the semester so it would update when things were due to different times,” Joy-Luz said as she described her planning process. “Closer to the end of the semester, it turned more into a ‘do 11 assignments a day because then you’ll be done before the holidays’ than a ‘do what is supposed to be due today’ kind of thing.”
Part of this motivation comes from the fact that Joy-Luz simply wants to make life easier on herself while learning. “Having past due assignments is stressful, so doing the work means less stress,” she explained matter-of-factly. In fact, the flexibility of online learning has made a huge impact on her stress levels, according to Pamela. “She is way less stressed about everyday life and is much happier.”
Her day-to-day routine generally consists of starting school around 10 am, taking an afternoon lunch break, doing her schoolwork and classes throughout the day, and finishing up around 5 pm–all while listening to EDM (electronic dance music), which is her favorite aspect of online learning.
A Passion for Psychology and Writing
At the early age of 9, Joy-Luz took an interest in psychology, as videos about depression popped into her YouTube recommendations. “I really enjoyed learning about it, so it turned into me binging content and reading articles about mental disorders,” she said. “It’s fascinating to think about how human brains work.” Her teachers and Academic Coach noted Joy-Luz’s curiosity about understanding herself and how it’s shaping her education.
Not surprisingly, Joy-Luz plans on making a career out of her love for the subject. “I plan on becoming a psychologist,” she explained. “I want to do research and talk therapy with people experiencing different kinds of neurodivergences. That umbrella term includes 23 things!” Perhaps someday she will be a pioneer in the field of psychology, one who shares her expertise through published journals and papers–or through literature.
Along with her fascination with the human mind, Joy-Luz possesses a passion for writing–one that she developed at a very early age. “It started the second I learned to write,” she said of her love of writing. “I’ve always been the creative and imaginative type, so it was just the easiest way to express that.” Joy-Luz recently attended a writing camp in hopes of honing her craft, particularly when it comes to writing short stories and scripts. And one day, she hopes to merge her passions for psychology and writing. In fact, she’s already working on such a story!
Looking Ahead to High School
The start of the next school year will mark Joy-Luz’s first in high school–something both she and her mom are very much looking forward to. “I am excited about high school for Joy,” said Pamela. “We wanted a school that ran through 12th grade, would offer APⓇ courses or dual enrollment in college classes, and would continue to foster her academic growth since she often tested ahead of her grade level. The fact that the classes at Holston are built to meet her where she is, is very helpful.”
Considering their interest in AP classes as well as dual enrollment, both mom and daughter already have their sights set on college, with Joy-Luz interested in attending a university near their home in the Bay Area. Fortunately, online learning with Holston Academy paves the way for Joy-Luz’s college prep thanks to a catalog of more than 300 classes, personalized attention and communication with teachers, and flexibility. “I love the course choices available as well as the connection and one-on-one time I have with my teachers,” said Joy-Luz.
For Pamela, the idea that Joy-Luz gets a high-quality education that allows her daughter to pursue her passions while not being tied to a strict school schedule is a huge positive. “You need to have a child that is self-motivated enough that they can handle managing their own schedule,” she explained. “But with a little help from you, it can work and it offers amazing flexibility for your child and family. Enrolling with Holston Academy has been a great decision for us.”
To learn more about Holston Academy, or to enroll, call (833) 782-6922.