Many people have preconceived notions of home-schooled kids as weird, socially awkward or abnormally smart.
But students who were home-schooled can blend in at a public university, even in college athletics. Several home-schooled student-athletes at LSU in multiple sports have assimilated with the rest of the student body.
Tennis senior Whitney Wolf was home-schooled in Pride, La., before coming to LSU and claiming a No. 52 national ranking in singles during the fall 2011 season.
Being home-schooled gave Wolf more time to focus on tennis, which allowed her to participate in regional and national events in her early teen years and gain the attention of college coaches around age 16.
“We really start identifying kids late in their sophomore year and junior year [of high school],” said women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis. “One of my former players coached [Wolf]. I thought she just had a tremendous upside, and I got on [recruiting her] really well.”
Gymnastics juniors Janelle Garcia and Ericka Garcia and sophomore Maliah Mathis are also among the few student-athletes who were home-schooled.
Janelle Garcia was home-schooled starting in the fourth grade in her hometown of Miami, until she attended high school in Orlando.
With her parents’ support, she put gymnastics first and then built her education around it, all the way up until college.
“Without my parents, this wouldn’t have been possible,” Janelle said. “They have done anything and everything for me just so I could pursue my passion for