There was a time when Jennifer Mudra of Albert Lea had absolutely no chance of graduating from high school. But times can change.

Today she will become the very first student ever to graduate from The Covenant Academy of Minnesota, a year-round accelerated learning boarding school located in Faribault. The school serves youths who show academic promise but need a stable living environment to flourish. Academy students develop academic, leadership and life skills in partnership with adult role models and, wherever possible, their families.

“I’m very nervous and excited to graduate,” said Mudra, who enrolled last September at approximately the ninth- to 10th-grade level, but within a year earned the credits required for her to graduate. She said that because of the amount of classes she failed in high school, there would have been no way she could have possibly graduated in another school, even with taking night, day and alternative learning center classes.

“I saw how heart-wrenching it was to my mom that her only daughter wasn’t going to graduate,” said Mudra.

Mudra was later living with a friend in Faribault when the two of them attended a blessing ceremony for the academy. Inspired by a brochure she read, Mudra called her mother and told her, “I want to graduate.”

“We’re individuals of great faith, and we knew a miracle was on the horizon,” said Mary Hacker, Jennifer’s mother, who shortly thereafter attended a ceremony with her daughter.

That was when the preparations began. However, before she could enroll, Mudra was required to interview with Michael Berry, the academy’s acting dean of residential life. She also was required to submit an essay sincerely identifying her wish to graduate, as well as essays from both her mother and her counselor. She was only the seventh student accepted for enrollment, which, according to Hacker, was no small task.

“Jen’s determination and will to graduate got her in the door,” said Hacker.

The difficulty didn’t end with the admissions process. One thing Mudra discovered once she had enrolled was that she was going to learn discipline.

“It was very tough at first when I came here,” said Mudra. “I was a brat.”

“She challenged the program and its structure,” said Berry, adding that the difference between when Mudra first enrolled and when she graduated was like night and day.

Mudra added, though, that she quickly learned that she had to listen. “It pretty much clicked in my head that I didn’t have it my way,” said Mudra.

At the academy, in addition to the classes required for graduation, Mudra also studied some extra curricular classes at Bethlehem Academy: Spanish, meteorology, astronomy and paleontology. She also learned social skills, which she said was the main thing taught to students when arriving, especially following instructions. She added that social skills are probably the best skills that anybody can learn.

“This place seriously helps people,” Mudra said. “The school is absolutely wonderful.”

Though finished with high school, Mudra has no immediate plans to relax. She plans to enlist in the United States Air Force, a dream she has had for about four years. In October, she will depart for San Antonio, Texas for basic training, and then attend college, where she plans to study law enforcement.

The academy, which opened its doors in August 2001, will also graduate two other students in their inaugural graduation ceremony today. Coincidentally, one of those other two students is also from Albert Lea &045; Maria Trigo. However, because Mudra’s name comes first alphabetically, she will be the school’s first graduate.

According to Berry, enrollment at the academy is growing by leaps and bounds. Thirty-two students are currently enrolled, with six new students expected to arrive within the coming week. He said that number will double this year.

Covenant Academy is a program of Catholic Charities and is supported by public and private sources. Youths of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are encouraged to apply. For more information, or to schedule a tour of the campus, call (507) 333-5482, e-mail academy@ccspm.org, or visit the school’s Web sites, www.isd4081.org or www.ccspm.org.