Madeleine kunda
Originally published in the "Open Connections Magazine", Winter 2022/23
What led you/your family to OC?
My parents have always been alternative thinkers. When my sister and I were kids, we all craved a lifestyle built on freedom and desired greater adaptability and fulfillment in our education. We were raised to understand learning as more of an immersive experience than what was traditionally provided inside most classrooms. I was also heavily bored in school and always thirsted for deeper engagement and autonomy in my studies. The public school system of sit, listen, memorize, repeat seemed awfully hollow to us. We felt there had to be more to learning than what society offered at first glance. All of this was a mere dream, however, until we found OC. We’d explored the idea of homeschooling before, but my mom worried about some of the things I think many who begin the journey do. She wasn’t a teacher by training and didn’t feel qualified to take our education on alone, with nothing but books and the kitchen table to build upon. She also wanted us to have a community with whom to explore, socialize and learn. My dad was the visionary, and while he was always very involved in our education, he also worked full time and couldn’t be around to provide guidance on a daily basis. All this goes to say that the minute we walked onto OC’s campus we felt we’d found home. I think this is an experience shared by many OC families. It felt as though we’d found our place and our people: a network of dedicated lifelong learners united in their quest for growth. Our parents pulled us out of school that month and we started at OC right after. At the time I was in 5th grade and my sister in 3rd. I am so grateful my parents were willing to explore alternatives and take the leap with us. You can’t ever get your childhood back; you only have one shot to make it memorable, educational and truly stimulating. So that’s what we tried to do and I’ve never once regretted it.
At what age did you start at OC? What programs were you involved in?
We discovered OC when I was 11, and I started programming at age 12. I continued from then all the way up through my teens, supplementing classes at OC with college courses nearby until I graduated “high school” and left for university and life abroad. I took so many programs at the time but some highlights include: Tuesday Tutorial, Teen Choice, Shaping Your Life, Model UN, Circuits, Writing, Afternoon on the Farm, Theater, Swing Dancing and Sports.
What have you been up to since leaving/graduating from OC?
Immediately after graduating from OC I spent a year abroad attending university in a handful of places including Sevilla, Spain, Paris, France and Carmarthen, Wales. A few years later I graduated from university in BC, Canada with a degree in Linguistics and Education. Upon my graduation I moved to Utila, Honduras to complete my PADI training and work as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. I continued down the outdoors route for another year becoming an EMT and professional Ski Patroller in Colorado. After dabbling in publishing and
illustrating a few children’s books, one of which was with best friend and old OCer Liam Snead (called The Wish of Wishes), I now have my own marketing and tech business based out of Telluride, Colorado. One of my apps, an advanced ski resort 3D mapping tool, business directory and trip-planning solution developed for the Town of Mountain Village will launch later this year! I primarily work remotely and live with my sister, Olivia, in our condo at 9,500 ft. near the base of the ski resort.
How did OC impact you?
Instead of claiming OC molded me into who I am today, I’d say that OC provided me with the space, resources, and leadership to become who I always wanted to be. That is quite a powerful thing one doesn’t easily forget, no matter how much time passes. I think a lot of people are grateful to be done high school and quick to forget much of what they learned. I can still remember many of the facilitations I gave, the interactive projects I created, the fascinating topics I researched, the articles I wrote and the life-changing experiences I had. How many people can say that about their childhood education, I wonder? Just as important, I believe that nothing could have set me up better for the life I lead today. I am a more proactive learner, a more resourceful professional and a more engaged citizen as a result of my OC education.
What did you find useful about your time at OC?
OC teaches you how to think, more than what to think. Thoughtful challenges and unique opinions were always encouraged. I also found OC to be more reflective of real life than most of today’s traditional classrooms. Rather than isolating students inside an over-pressurized system, OC was a place designed to foster learning through interaction with the outside world. Whether we took trips across the state or across the tutorial room, OC was a place that combined disciplines in a practical way to better embody real life. We might be discussing management of personal finances or building a rocket ship; either way, our studies were multidisciplinary in nature. I find that life beyond school rarely divides itself into disconnected disciplines, divorced and disembodied from real world interaction. More often than not you might use historical analysis to create pioneering mathematics, or employ writing and design to build new technology. OC integrated this kind of multifaceted education into our programming, and without a doubt I am so much better off for it.
How did OC hone your Self-Understanding, your Intrapersonal Skills?
I have become much more self-assured and self-reliant thanks to OC helping empower me to take responsibility for my own education. If you’re going to take on a leadership role in your own learning, you need to first address some fundamental questions about who you are and what matters most to you. It’s not an on-and-off switch, and there’s no question it’s a journey, but OC certainly helped create the conditions in which I could strive to get to know myself better and investigate my goals. It takes courage to look inward, and OC helped me find the strength within myself to do just that.
How did OC help you grow your Interpersonal Skills?
OC was always a place where all ages came together to inspire each other to tackle challenges head-on and embrace
the evolution of learning. I loved the fact that facilitators and young people across the spectrum could connect over different projects and activities on campus. We were able to learn from those who’d been there, apply existing knowledge to help guide younger generations, and venture into new arenas of thought as a community. I remember that I was also quite comfortable with public speaking at a young age, a skill I use on a daily basis in my job now. I attribute this confidence in large part to the exposure I had to people of diverse ages and backgrounds at OC. OC built a community that went beyond the classroom and encouraged us to work together to reach for the stars.
How did OC help you develop your Creative/ Implementation Skills, your Impersonal Skills?
OC was always action-oriented. I thrived by engaging with material through the kind of immersive and experiential learning to which we were exposed on campus. The ability to approach problems from unique perspectives is essential to creativity, and OC was always devoted to encouraging us to debate and come to our own conclusions. Learning, in my view, can not really be detached from creativity—they are one and the same. If you are not using your creative capacity to address problems, then you are more likely memorizing and regurgitating material. There is a time and a place to cram for studies, but pretty much anyone can do that, and it has little value for the kind of personal growth that leads to meaningful professional accomplishments. True learning requires investigative and inventive thinking. I am so grateful that OC fostered an environment of such proportions.
If you had not gone to OC, imagine how you might be different.
It’s difficult to imagine. Once I started unschooling through OC, I never looked back. I can only imagine I’d have less self-knowledge and less courage to pursue what I really wanted. Unthinkable to me today.
What advice would you give to youth just starting out on their OC journey?
Unschooling happens in so many different ways. It is not a one-size-fits-all kind of experience. OC advocates for you to be an independent learner and creative thinker, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Take advantage of the amazing facilitators and resources around you to help you find the way that YOU learn the best. That is what OC is all about: helping you to customize your education so you can discover who you are and what you want to be. Don’t forget to live and love these great days, you will look back on them forever.
What wisdom could you offer to parents of new OC youth?
I certainly can’t claim to be capable of providing earth-shattering wisdom, but here is a thought for you to take or leave. Jumping into unschooling is a leap. It does take some commitment from the part of the parents, but there are so many different ways to manage this kind of lifestyle and I cannot imagine anything more worthy. It’s natural to worry about your kids’ futures, but if they are exposed to a community that is built around facilitating true learning, you know you are on the right path. My life would not be the same without OC. I shudder to think where I’d have been if I didn’t have parents that believed in my journey and helped to guide me along the way.
What favorite memory of OC would you like to share?
One day back in Tuesday Tutorial, we spent an afternoon attempting to build a raft. We were given the entire campus to explore to find the kinds of supplies that would get us off the ground and into the water. Our instructions were simple: the whole team had to be able to fit on the raft and make it across the pond. I will fully disclose that the process was not a clean one! To measure, weigh and test our contraptions we had to get our hands dirty and our feet wet—but that, of course, was one of my favorite parts. Our float was not perfect, and we ended up with some oddly lopsided paddling, but that was all part of the learning. Lots of laughs and challenges later, we had a triumphant sense of accomplishment that went well beyond the beauty of the product (thankfully!)—but we did it!
My parents have always been alternative thinkers. When my sister and I were kids, we all craved a lifestyle built on freedom and desired greater adaptability and fulfillment in our education. We were raised to understand learning as more of an immersive experience than what was traditionally provided inside most classrooms. I was also heavily bored in school and always thirsted for deeper engagement and autonomy in my studies. The public school system of sit, listen, memorize, repeat seemed awfully hollow to us. We felt there had to be more to learning than what society offered at first glance. All of this was a mere dream, however, until we found OC. We’d explored the idea of homeschooling before, but my mom worried about some of the things I think many who begin the journey do. She wasn’t a teacher by training and didn’t feel qualified to take our education on alone, with nothing but books and the kitchen table to build upon. She also wanted us to have a community with whom to explore, socialize and learn. My dad was the visionary, and while he was always very involved in our education, he also worked full time and couldn’t be around to provide guidance on a daily basis. All this goes to say that the minute we walked onto OC’s campus we felt we’d found home. I think this is an experience shared by many OC families. It felt as though we’d found our place and our people: a network of dedicated lifelong learners united in their quest for growth. Our parents pulled us out of school that month and we started at OC right after. At the time I was in 5th grade and my sister in 3rd. I am so grateful my parents were willing to explore alternatives and take the leap with us. You can’t ever get your childhood back; you only have one shot to make it memorable, educational and truly stimulating. So that’s what we tried to do and I’ve never once regretted it.
At what age did you start at OC? What programs were you involved in?
We discovered OC when I was 11, and I started programming at age 12. I continued from then all the way up through my teens, supplementing classes at OC with college courses nearby until I graduated “high school” and left for university and life abroad. I took so many programs at the time but some highlights include: Tuesday Tutorial, Teen Choice, Shaping Your Life, Model UN, Circuits, Writing, Afternoon on the Farm, Theater, Swing Dancing and Sports.
What have you been up to since leaving/graduating from OC?
Immediately after graduating from OC I spent a year abroad attending university in a handful of places including Sevilla, Spain, Paris, France and Carmarthen, Wales. A few years later I graduated from university in BC, Canada with a degree in Linguistics and Education. Upon my graduation I moved to Utila, Honduras to complete my PADI training and work as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. I continued down the outdoors route for another year becoming an EMT and professional Ski Patroller in Colorado. After dabbling in publishing and
illustrating a few children’s books, one of which was with best friend and old OCer Liam Snead (called The Wish of Wishes), I now have my own marketing and tech business based out of Telluride, Colorado. One of my apps, an advanced ski resort 3D mapping tool, business directory and trip-planning solution developed for the Town of Mountain Village will launch later this year! I primarily work remotely and live with my sister, Olivia, in our condo at 9,500 ft. near the base of the ski resort.
How did OC impact you?
Instead of claiming OC molded me into who I am today, I’d say that OC provided me with the space, resources, and leadership to become who I always wanted to be. That is quite a powerful thing one doesn’t easily forget, no matter how much time passes. I think a lot of people are grateful to be done high school and quick to forget much of what they learned. I can still remember many of the facilitations I gave, the interactive projects I created, the fascinating topics I researched, the articles I wrote and the life-changing experiences I had. How many people can say that about their childhood education, I wonder? Just as important, I believe that nothing could have set me up better for the life I lead today. I am a more proactive learner, a more resourceful professional and a more engaged citizen as a result of my OC education.
What did you find useful about your time at OC?
OC teaches you how to think, more than what to think. Thoughtful challenges and unique opinions were always encouraged. I also found OC to be more reflective of real life than most of today’s traditional classrooms. Rather than isolating students inside an over-pressurized system, OC was a place designed to foster learning through interaction with the outside world. Whether we took trips across the state or across the tutorial room, OC was a place that combined disciplines in a practical way to better embody real life. We might be discussing management of personal finances or building a rocket ship; either way, our studies were multidisciplinary in nature. I find that life beyond school rarely divides itself into disconnected disciplines, divorced and disembodied from real world interaction. More often than not you might use historical analysis to create pioneering mathematics, or employ writing and design to build new technology. OC integrated this kind of multifaceted education into our programming, and without a doubt I am so much better off for it.
How did OC hone your Self-Understanding, your Intrapersonal Skills?
I have become much more self-assured and self-reliant thanks to OC helping empower me to take responsibility for my own education. If you’re going to take on a leadership role in your own learning, you need to first address some fundamental questions about who you are and what matters most to you. It’s not an on-and-off switch, and there’s no question it’s a journey, but OC certainly helped create the conditions in which I could strive to get to know myself better and investigate my goals. It takes courage to look inward, and OC helped me find the strength within myself to do just that.
How did OC help you grow your Interpersonal Skills?
OC was always a place where all ages came together to inspire each other to tackle challenges head-on and embrace
the evolution of learning. I loved the fact that facilitators and young people across the spectrum could connect over different projects and activities on campus. We were able to learn from those who’d been there, apply existing knowledge to help guide younger generations, and venture into new arenas of thought as a community. I remember that I was also quite comfortable with public speaking at a young age, a skill I use on a daily basis in my job now. I attribute this confidence in large part to the exposure I had to people of diverse ages and backgrounds at OC. OC built a community that went beyond the classroom and encouraged us to work together to reach for the stars.
How did OC help you develop your Creative/ Implementation Skills, your Impersonal Skills?
OC was always action-oriented. I thrived by engaging with material through the kind of immersive and experiential learning to which we were exposed on campus. The ability to approach problems from unique perspectives is essential to creativity, and OC was always devoted to encouraging us to debate and come to our own conclusions. Learning, in my view, can not really be detached from creativity—they are one and the same. If you are not using your creative capacity to address problems, then you are more likely memorizing and regurgitating material. There is a time and a place to cram for studies, but pretty much anyone can do that, and it has little value for the kind of personal growth that leads to meaningful professional accomplishments. True learning requires investigative and inventive thinking. I am so grateful that OC fostered an environment of such proportions.
If you had not gone to OC, imagine how you might be different.
It’s difficult to imagine. Once I started unschooling through OC, I never looked back. I can only imagine I’d have less self-knowledge and less courage to pursue what I really wanted. Unthinkable to me today.
What advice would you give to youth just starting out on their OC journey?
Unschooling happens in so many different ways. It is not a one-size-fits-all kind of experience. OC advocates for you to be an independent learner and creative thinker, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Take advantage of the amazing facilitators and resources around you to help you find the way that YOU learn the best. That is what OC is all about: helping you to customize your education so you can discover who you are and what you want to be. Don’t forget to live and love these great days, you will look back on them forever.
What wisdom could you offer to parents of new OC youth?
I certainly can’t claim to be capable of providing earth-shattering wisdom, but here is a thought for you to take or leave. Jumping into unschooling is a leap. It does take some commitment from the part of the parents, but there are so many different ways to manage this kind of lifestyle and I cannot imagine anything more worthy. It’s natural to worry about your kids’ futures, but if they are exposed to a community that is built around facilitating true learning, you know you are on the right path. My life would not be the same without OC. I shudder to think where I’d have been if I didn’t have parents that believed in my journey and helped to guide me along the way.
What favorite memory of OC would you like to share?
One day back in Tuesday Tutorial, we spent an afternoon attempting to build a raft. We were given the entire campus to explore to find the kinds of supplies that would get us off the ground and into the water. Our instructions were simple: the whole team had to be able to fit on the raft and make it across the pond. I will fully disclose that the process was not a clean one! To measure, weigh and test our contraptions we had to get our hands dirty and our feet wet—but that, of course, was one of my favorite parts. Our float was not perfect, and we ended up with some oddly lopsided paddling, but that was all part of the learning. Lots of laughs and challenges later, we had a triumphant sense of accomplishment that went well beyond the beauty of the product (thankfully!)—but we did it!
