When Aadit Mehra, a bright and curious 9th grader, moved with his family to the Bay Area from Seattle, he enrolled in a well-regarded public high school. While the campus was large and the teachers well-meaning, Aadit quickly realized that something was missing: opportunity to move ahead.
“I was ready for more,” he recalled. “But my school said I had to wait until junior year to take Pre-Calculus—even though I’d already finished Algebra II in middle school.”
Frustrated, Aadit watched as his passion for math and computer science hit an artificial ceiling. He had a strong work ethic, a growing love for AI and robotics, and even completed online Python courses on his own time. But the school offered limited electives, and students weren’t allowed to “skip ahead.” Acceleration, they told him, would “disrupt the cohort.”
That’s when his family discovered Legend College Preparatory (LCP) and their Open Learning Networks model.
A New Start with a Personalized Plan
Transferring to LCP at the beginning of 10th grade changed everything. On his first day, Aadit met with an academic advisor who listened—truly listened—to his interests, goals, and frustrations. Together, they mapped out a custom academic plan that aligned with his ambition to major in computer science at a top-tier university.
With LCP’s structured Academic Track for Computer Science and Engineering, Aadit was placed in:
- Pre-Calculus Honors immediately in 10th grade
- AP Calculus AB by 11th grade, followed by Post-AP Linear Algebra in 12th
- AP Computer Science A, which he described as the class where “everything clicked”
- AP Psychology, which he took to better understand user-centered design and human behavior in technology
- A full sequence of UC-approved AI courses, including:
- Python and AI
- AI Technology Honors
- AI & Humanities Honors
- A capstone project that integrated machine learning with real-world data from a partner AI startup
Most importantly, LCP’s flexible learning model allowed him to attend in-person AI labs twice a week while completing other core courses online at his own pace. This freed up time for coding competitions, building an AI chatbot for his robotics club, and interning with a local ed-tech company.
The Outcome: Admission to a Dream School
By the time Aadit reached senior year, he wasn’t just a math whiz—he had a polished portfolio of AI projects, college-level coursework on his transcript, and a clear personal story of self-directed learning.
In March, he received the news he had been hoping for:
“Congratulations! We are pleased to offer you admission to the University of California, Berkeley as a Computer Science major.”
Aadit was also accepted to Georgia Tech, University of Washington, and UIUC. But Berkeley—close to home, world-renowned in CS, and buzzing with innovation—was the perfect fit.
Looking Back—and Forward
“My old school told me to wait. LCP asked me what I was ready for,” Aadit said at his graduation. “That made all the difference.”
Today, Aadit continues to mentor younger students in LCP’s AI programs and serves as a student advisor for the Legend AI Future School Taiwan initiative. He often tells students:
“You don’t have to wait to chase your dream. You just have to plan for it—and find a school that will let you.”
Disclaimer:
The name “Aadit Mehra” and aspects of this story are fictional and created for illustrative purposes to protect student privacy. The scenario reflects real experiences of students at LCP while preserving confidentiality.