Athena was Nathan’s very first student. In tutoring her in 7th-grade math, he discovered her extraordinary ambition and determination. He then worked out a plan with her and her parents to accelerate her journey. Homeschooled, she took community college classes concurrently, granting her triple credits for middle school, high school, and college. Nathan laid out a schedule and guided her through her classes, having gone through this same process himself. With her added free time, Athena developed a passion for writing books and advocating for animal protection. 

 

Writing has become her way of expressing herself to the world. She has published three books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble: Vegan Teen: How to Go Vegan as a Teen, Little Did She Know, and The Best Gift Ever: Athena’s Adventure. Her themes range from personal experiences to thriller/adventure novels to children’s stories. A lifelong vegan, she aspires to become a nurse to protect those she loves – especially her cats, Kiska and Al Capone.

With Nathan’s guidance, she graduated valedictorian from her high school and is on track to graduate summa cum laude from UC San Diego with multiple scholarships. With her talent, Nathan’s mission of helping students nurture their own abilities took new life and has flourished since.