Sailing to Greatness

Competitive sailor and Calpac student Talia Hamlin has her eyes on the prize, both on the water and in the classroom.  As a young girl Talia was kayaking in Marina Del Rey and spotted a sailboat – a Sabot to be exact.  It immediately caught her eye and from there she knew she wanted to try her hand at sailing.  She stepped onto her first sailboat at age seven and never looked back. 

As her interest in competing in sailing grew, Talia’s parents knew that they needed to find an online school that would enable her to pursue her sailing career while also obtaining a great education.  A fifth grade teacher of Talia’s told her and her family about CalPac’s accessible, inclusive, and personalized learning community.  CalPac’s free and fully online TK-12 program for self-motivated, independent educational learners seemed like a perfect fit for Talia. CalPac had the flexibility of online courses and curriculum, while also maintaining the consistency of a traditional brick & mortar.  It would ensure that she could maintain her competition schedule while still being enrolled in a supportive and comprehensive educational program.  Talia explains “I need to travel a lot for sailing competitions both domestically and internationally throughout the year, so choosing CalPac allowed me to be able to keep participating in competitions without missing any classes.”  The flexibility CalPac offers was a huge draw for Talia and her family, on top of the fact that through CalPac Talia could not only shine in her sailing, but also shine in her studies.    

Life at CalPac

While at CalPac, Talia has gone on to create quite the name for herself in the competitive sailing world.  This past April, she placed first in an International Regatta in Italy – and still made it to her online class at CalPac after the race had wrapped up!  Through CalPac, Talia is able to access her assignments every week through our online platform.  Anytime she has internet access, she can have access to her entire course curriculum.  She is able to access her work 24/7 – meaning that when she is traveling internationally for sailing she doesn’t have to worry about missing out on getting her work due to time differences.  She is able to complete her work throughout the week at a time that works best for her.  She is also able to attend a weekly live session where she can connect with teachers and fellow students.

When asked about what made CalPac different from traditional schooling, Talia mentioned that she feels a closer connection with her teachers than she remembers having before coming to CalPac.  Our dedicated faculty is what keeps our students on a path to success, and Talia is no exception.  Talia makes her studies a priority. As we mentioned earlier, while she was competing in the International Sailing Regatta in Italy this past April, her race had to be delayed because of wind. Worried she may miss her online class, Talia had her mother let her CalPac teachers know she had been delayed, but was hoping to make it to her online session that was taking place later that day.  Her online teachers – who were familiar with her sailing pursuits – supported and cheered her on. After she had won her race, Talia hopped on her zoom session ready to learn!  

Talia’s Future

Her determination paired with the support offered to her by the online faculty at CalPac has enabled Talia to set incredible goals for herself and her future.  After she obtains her high school diploma, she plans on obtaining a college education and hopes to one day take home a gold medal for Team USA in Women’s Single Hand Sailing.  We asked her to give one piece of advice to online students at CalPac, Talia spoke on finding a school-life balance. Her advice was “Explore a lot, and you will find a passion. Once you find the passion, just keep going! But don’t forget your assignments, eat well and sleep well!”

We are proud to support Talia’s passion for sailing and her education here at CalPac, and we cannot wait to cheer her on at the Olympics one day!

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