“I don’t know where I would be without the people I have grown up next to,” said Anastasia Rain March, a senior at Sandy Creek Christian Academy.

With graduation coming this Saturday, the 18-year-old said she is grateful for the opportunities the east side Seymour school has given her to be a leader.

“I am so grateful for Sandy Creek because they have given me opportunities that I don’t think I would have had anywhere else,” she said. ” The school also gave me teachers that truly love what they do and care about their students.”

March moved to Seymour and started attending Sandy Creek daycare when she was four years old while her aunt worked at the school. She would attend Sandy Creek until sixth grade before moving to Missouri for two years and getting a taste of public school and homeschool for the first time.

“It wasn’t my favorite,” she said. “I love the environment my school has and the chances I have been able to take that I didn’t get when I went to public school.”

After returning to Sandy Creek for her eighth-grade year, March has been immersed in her education and extra-curricular activities ever since.

Throughout her four years of high school she has been involved in choir, volleyball and the youth’s Chapel Ignite services. When she’s not in school, March said she enjoys singing, roller-skating, art and her graphic design job through Blue Shift Marketing.

Reflecting on her senior year, March recalled moments where she was given the opportunity to be a leader.

During the recent senior trip to Branson, Missouri, to enjoy rock climbing, ziplining and outdoor activities; March was nominated by her classmates to be in charge of their itinerary.

“That was such a moment for me because they trusted me and I feel like it was reflective of my school year,” she said.

March also was given an opportunity during the Christmas season to put together a small group for a specialty song at the end of their Deck the Hall Christmas program.

“I got to work with some of my best friends and we did an acapella version of the ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘Handel’s Messiah’,” she said.

March said Sandy Creek has not only helped her become a leader, but has given her a foundation of support both for her future and personal life. March highlighted the attitude of high school director Cristy Null, saying that she encourages students to follow their own path whether that be college or a trade.

“Everyone is so willing to file behind one another and help build each other up,” she said. “I can’t say I have it the easiest after I walk out the doors after school, but I always know when I come in on Monday and leave on Friday I am looking forward to Monday again.”

While learning to become a leader had been a highlight for March this school year, there was one hardship that came unexpected, losing the only man she had ever known as a father.

“After my dad abandoned me when I was born my grandfather had always been my dad,” she said. “From the moment he met me he called me his angel and baby daughter.”

After his sudden passing on the night of what was suppose to be her volleyball senior night in February, March said its still a loss her and her family are processing.

Spending her 18th birthday, which was last Sunday without him and now walking across the stage this Saturday without him in the audience, she tries to find the strength during these last few moments of high school.

“It’s heartbreaking because I have never lost someone who was always there for me,” she said. “When I was little he would always read me the book the ‘Little Engine that Could’ and he would always say to me, ‘I think I can, I think I can, I think I can’. One of the last things he told me as I was telling him about what I wanted to do with my career he said, ‘I thought you could’.”

While she wonders how her future will unfold without him around, March said Null and Misty Arrowood have been a backbone of support for her during this time.

“They taught me that its OK to lean on other people and that I don’t have to deal with things by myself,” she said. “They have helped me take all the pain from this year and turn it around by giving me outlets.”

With the guidance and support March had been given throughout her time at Sandy Creek, she said she is excited to begin her studies toward teaching in the summer.

In June, March will be starting Grand Canyon University online to obtain a bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies education and a minor in biology. At the same time, in August she will attend Indiana Bible College on campus to major in missology, which is a degree designed to provide training for missionaries and others who serve or plan to serve in intercultural ministry and church multiplication positions.

“I think this will prepare me for understanding other environments and cultures while paring that with my teaching degree which will hopefully help my future students,” she said. “I think going out to other countries and teaching underprivileged children would be interesting and definitely something I would enjoy.”

As advice for the underclassmen in her school, March said to take it slow, say yes to opportunities and procrastination kills.

“When you are given an opportunity at something view it as a chance because you don’t know when you will get that chance again,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without my school, my teachers and my class. They really are a class of builders and future leaders.”