Story/Interview August 29, 2017
Erica Leishman
Working in Ad Operations at Yahoo! Inc
"My mom signed me up for King's InterHigh as soon as she heard about it and it was the best thing that could have happened!"
Before joining King’s InterHigh, I was at a small private school where there was unhealthy competition, toxic friendships and bullying. My mom decided I wouldn’t be going back shortly before the next year began.
Due to the sudden switch, I was unable to enter the school that I wanted since my year was already full. I attempted homeschooling myself since both of my parents worked at the time, but as time went on, I lacked motivation and it was difficult to do it alone.
My mom signed me up for King’s InterHigh as soon as she heard about it and it was the best thing that could have happened!
Preparing for a better future…
Since leaving King’s InterHigh, I enrolled at The Grange School, Hartford and was able to seamlessly integrate into the culture of highly motivated and high-achieving students. King’s InterHigh kept me on track with core course materials and I never felt like I was behind. I completed my GCSES and A-Levels all at A and A* grades. I knew I wanted to go to university in the USA due to the breadth and options of study. I applied, and was accepted to the University of Oregon, and to the Robert D. Clark Honors College, a small community of elite students within the university.
I graduated summa cum laude with a 4.03 GPA in 2015; I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and a minor in Art. After graduation, I taught English in Italy and traveled solo in Europe for three months. Shortly after returning to the USA, I began working as a project manager at a startup tech company. A year later, I accepted a job in Ad Operations at Yahoo! Inc. I have been a Yahoo for a few months now and plan to grow and develop in this company for years to come!