Student Profile: Ashlynn Fayth Smith

What makes your family unique to other families you know?

What makes my family unique, especially in the homeschool world, is that we have not always been a homeschool family. My two older sisters and I went through both private and public schools before we started homeschooling. I opted out of the first year of homeschooling, thinking they were nuts.

However, the next year my parents had me try it, and by the end of my first homeschool year, I was sold. My younger brother only experienced one year in a public school, and my youngest brother has never set foot in a school.

What is an average homeschooling day with Seton like for you?

I am not a morning person, so while I did a trial period of trying to get up early to start school, it did not work. Instead the day starts for me around 9 am. In the morning I like to start my day off with Religion, and then English.

Then, after lunch I do math, since that is the subject I usually need the most help on, and my Mom is able to help me because she has finished my brothers’ school. The time I get most of my school done is at night. My brain is the most alert and workable at night, probably due to its lack of activity in the morning when it refuses to process anything.

I do the rest of my schoolwork, and then finish by reading what I will need for English the next day.

What’s something you have done that you really enjoyed doing?

My older sister and I decided to take a year long Bible study at our church. I really enjoyed doing it because it enlightened me and helped me grow deeper in my Catholic faith.

The class was mostly made up of elderly people, making my sister and I the youngest in attendance. It was really neat to hear all the stories they told about their childhood, and to reap from their lifetime of wisdom.

It was also fun because it gave me the chance to expand my baking skills, since snacks were needed every week.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I have always loved to read, and hear stories. I also love to write stories myself. I love to draw, particularly with pencil, charcoal, and chalk. I like to sketch people the most, and use our family photos as subjects. I also enjoy painting landscapes, still-life, and biblical images.

I am always looking for an opportunity to expand my baking skills, and with a Mom who loves to bake, there is never not an opportunity. I also like to sew, and am trying to get beyond just mending, by starting with small projects.

I am very interested in British things. I love anything to do with England, and any movie in which the actors have British accents.

Over the years, I have worked at mastering and perfecting a fake British accent.

What are some things you do as a family and on your own that you particularly enjoy?

My Mom is Italian, and it is the culture we embrace the most as a family. Every Friday night my Mom makes homemade pizza from scratch. It is the best pizza in the world, and I am not just saying that because I am her daughter, its true!

What do you hope to do in the future?

I hope to attend college in the fall, and I plan to study accounting. I hope to one day marry a devout Catholic man, and raise a devoted Catholic family.

I hope as well, to become a Catholic teen and young adult writer, in order to deepen the Catholic faith in my generation, and the ones to come.