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Student excels beyond age in music, school
Since she was a toddler, Sarah Blahovec has wanted to be a musician. “My mom said I’ve been asking to play the violin since I was two years old.” At age six, Sarah attended a week long music camp, learned the violin and has been playing ever since.
In 2007, Sarah was accepted into the studio of Cyrus Forough, a world renowned violinist and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, with whom she still studies under today. In the fall of 2008, Sarah auditioned for and was accepted as a substitute member of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra.
While always an exceptional student, Sarah realized in 2006 that she needed a better way to balance her dedication to music with her school work, thus enrolling in PA Cyber. “It’s really given me the freedom and flexibility I need,” she said.
This semester, the latest the 11th grader is in school is 1 p.m., “so I have all afternoon to get my homework done and practice. I don’t have to worry about going to lunch or study hall; I can get what I need done with no extra stuff.”
The flexibility that PA Cyber offers has allowed Sarah to not only excel at school (she’s carried a 4.0 GPA since enrolling) and her music (she practices for three hours a day and has private lessons at Carnegie Mellon once a week), but also deal with a significant health issue.
“In ninth grade, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which affects my digestive system. PA Cyber allows me to go to a good school, practice music and go to the hospital for treatment once a week.”
Sarah’s instructional supervisor, Bill Haas said her successes in spite of the medical obstacle she faces, truly speaks to this young woman’s character. “In my many years of teaching, I have known few students with the talent and ability equivalent to Sarah’s. Sarah is successfully completing courses which are advanced for a student of her eleventh grade level and earning academic honors.”
In the summer of 2009, Sarah was chosen to attend the Presidential Classroom: Future World Leader’s summit in Washington D.C., where she was among 200 students from 15 countries who met to discuss solutions to the world’s problems. She also received the 2008 Outstanding Young Citizen Award from Trib Total Media for her community service and excellence in education.
As Sarah continues to thrive in school and music with PA Cyber, she still finds time to do things just for her. “I like to knit and I’m addicted to baking, so that’s my relax time,” she said. “I also have some extracurricular activities. At CMU, I’m in the ballroom dancing club and in the winter, I like to ski. So I balance my school and violin with fun activities.”