Even as a kid, she knew what she wanted her future to look like, and that plan did not include college. Now, senior Sapir Zachary plans to graduate high school early, attend farming programs across the globe and start two businesses.

“It was a goal I’ve had since the beginning of high school. [Graduating early] was something I saw myself doing. It felt pretty attainable; it felt like something I could achieve,” Zachary said. “To put it simply, I want to be done as soon as possible. I’m ready for the next chapter of my life, probably more than a lot of people my age.”

In hopes of graduating early, Zachary met with counselor Jennifer Spontaski multiple times. However, during her junior year, she decided to take summer school classes to focus on early graduation. 

“Other than [meeting with my counselor], I didn’t do anything besides create a plan for my credits and take those classes,” Zachary said. “I’ve only taken two summer school classes: Walking for Fitness and Creative Writing 1. I didn’t take a Study Hall or have an early release, so I have a full schedule this semester.” 

During what would have been the second semester of her senior year, Zachary plans on getting an apartment, saving money and pursuing her businesses: a Depop clothing website and a power washing business. 

“I had not felt super passionate about college since the beginning of high school,” Zachary said. “I wanted to find something [besides college]. As [non-traditional higher education] got more popular, people gained more awareness about what kind of options you have outside of college and higher education. I started researching, and I wanted to do something non-traditional.”

Although Zachary knows she has always wanted to do this, she doesn’t have all the details planned. The career path she wants to pursue is still undetermined, but she knows that she wants to have multiple sources of income. 

“Going this route isn’t something I feel like I have chosen. It’s just something that has always called to me,” Zachary said. “Online schooling worked well for me, so that introduced me to alternative schooling styles, which made me feel like I didn’t want to go to college straight out of high school, and that’s been true my whole life.”

After discovering her parents bought a new pressure washer, Zachary started a business washing driveways. She makes around $40 an hour, charging $90 to $150 per driveway. She advertises her business by handing out flyers to people in her neighborhood. 

“The pressure washing business was a way to get fast cash. I’ve seen a lot of stuff on TikTok and other places where people do this, and they end up being successful with it,” Zachary said. “I thought it might just be worth a shot.”

On top of that and working 15 hours a week at Dewey’s Pizza, Zachary is also preparing to open a Depop clothing business, where she will resell clothes that she thrifted. 

“I am still working on collecting the materials and getting the mannequin to get the business going,” Zachary said. “I have always had a passion for clothes, and I’ve liked fashion. I felt that I was gifted in it. I have nice clothes that I don’t wear, so why not try to sell them? People are usually pretty successful when they try to sell clothes online. My favorite part is putting clothes on the mannequins and getting that excited feeling where I know somebody else might want to buy it.”

Starting a savings account, limiting her spending and avoiding fast-food restaurants are strategies Zachary uses to save money. Although she is unsure of what career path she wants to take in the future, her goal is to help the environment, learn skills for a career in agriculture and explore career opportunities by attending farming programs worldwide. 

“[I want to help] rebuild communities and farms, restore native plants and also help because I know the native community in Hawaii is damaged by gentrification and tourism,” Zachary said.

Zachary has explored the option of attending farming programs in Hawaii and Australia that focus on restoring agriculture in damaged communities. Some of her options include Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms and Workaway, both based in Hawaii and aim to explore farming careers. 

“Hawaii, for me, is a start. I’m going to go there to see how it works out, and I could end up staying, or I could end up going,” Zachary said. “[My goal] in joining these programs is to work in environments to restore native agriculture and rebuild communities. [I plan on] working to reverse some of that damage and contributing to a greater change while also learning about farming and plants that I would use later in life.”

Although she hopes to help to solve environmental damage, Zachary also wants to pursue her interests in music, fashion, connecting and building relationships with kids with disabilities, working with animals and making money. 

Zachary is thankful for options beyond the college path and looks forward to working at her own pace. 

“[For] people that don’t know their options or people that don’t have access to those resources, it may be harder to see what different options. They [might] feel like they have to pick one thing and settle down and work on it their whole lives,” Zachary said. “But I feel like I have the awareness that I have options, so I want to utilize those as much as I can throughout my life.”