Learner Spotlight: Kiah Lewis

Hello! My name is Kiah Lewis. I’m a senior in high school, and I’ve been independent studyed my entire life. Some words people use to describe me are outgoing, charismatic, kind, and funny. I love dogs, animated movies, the color yellow, and making fun of the Twilight saga with friends.

Ever since I can remember, I have always had a creative mind and imagined myself in other worlds that I never was able to verbalize to others. My solution to this problem was drawing everything that came to mind. Since I learned that I had the power of art within me, I haven’t stopped drawing. I am now actively pursuing my dream of becoming a professional artist. I’m not exactly sure what role I want to play, but I know I will come to that decision at just the right time. One thing I love about art is it can come in many shapes and sizes and anyone can do it. I think what people love says a lot about what we really strive for in life. For me, I want to create things that bless others and inspire them, and art is just the tool to do that exact thing.

Another passion in my life is my guide dog in training, Draco (and yes he is named after the infamous Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter franchise). Volunteering for Guide Dogs of America had a huge impact in my life and participating was a personal goal since I was a little girl. My mom raised a guide dog named Beasley when she was my age, and I have strived to be just like her. Training Draco was full of many twists and turns and, in the end, I realized that he was actually the one training me. I learned many lessons from simple tasks like teaching him that the bathroom is outside and not on our wood floors or trusting him to lead me while I was blindfolded.  My eyes were opened to the many blessings dogs give to people in need and how wonderful of an opportunity this was. While Draco ended up having a heart defect that ended his journey with Guide Dogs of America, it was only the beginning of his journey with me.

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Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Kiah! We are proud of you and we know that following graduation, many exciting opportunities await a learner with your unique gifts.