Meet NHA Alum Emma Haigler

I attended Chandler Woods 2016 through 2018, sixth through eighth grade. I’ve attended a handful of schools growing up, mostly public, online, and homeschooled. And between all of those, Chandler Woods was completely different.

Hi, I’m Emma Haggler and I’m a current senior at Grand Valley State University studying photography and marketing, and I am a Chandler Woods alum.

The National Heritage Academies environment was just so welcoming. I was able to feel like I was challenged with my learning, and I really felt like I grew not only as a person, but it set me up professionally for my future. They really wanted to push you to be the best person that you could be. They really wanted you to do your best.

It really set me up for high school and even college. Some of the stuff that I learned here in middle school, I’m now touching on in my college classes. I learned my own learning strategies and I’ve been able to take that from Chandler Woods and use that later in life.

I was able to learn how to be a team player through playing basketball and cross country. Science Olympiad was also a huge impact in my life. That club really gave me a lot of motivation to push my thinking and not be afraid to make mistakes.

During my time at Chandler Woods, I had my most influential teacher to date, and that was Mr. Anderson. He was both my Science Olympiad coach and my science and history teacher. He pushed me to grow not just as a student but as a person. I don’t think that I would be the person I am today without the influence that he had in my life.

You could call this Mr. Anderson’s list of two ways to have guaranteed fulfillment in the years ahead. Love lots and fail often.

Love lots and fail often.

It completely changed my life through the teachers, the academics, the Moral Focus program, and just the overall community that it gave me.

If I were to give advice to a current NHA student, I would say to get involved and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That was something that really impacted me in middle school, being scared to mess up. But learning that everyone makes mistakes in life is something that is normal, and everyone is here to support you. It gave me a place to thrive both as an individual and a student, and it really set me up for success later in life.

Hi, I’m Emma and I’m a proud NHA alum.