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Landon Robertson will be graduating from Summit High School Thursday, May 22, after spending the last semester taking several more classes than the typical high school senior.

Robertson started at Summit at the beginning of the current school year in August 2024. He was missing several credits needed to graduate at the time, so he has spent the school year catching up on those subjects. The work included taking between eight and 10 classes in the current semester.

He said the sense of responsibility and self-reliance he learned from attending Summit was what made finishing so much studying in a compressed time period possible. Robertson said he began pushing himself to catch up in December, and as of early May, is now close to finishing his high school education.

“I think it was just realizing that I can’t force myself or teachers to get myself that grade; I have to do it myself,� he said. “Only I can be the person to turn in that work, nobody else can."

He added: "It’s you that’s the person that’s going to graduate. Nobody’s going to do your work, nobody’s going to write your assignments. It’s always going to be you. � I thought I was giving myself a break from a day of work, but in the long run, it really held me back, because now when I finish my work, I get more free time than I thought I would have when I was not doing my work.�

A little less than a month before graduation, Robertson had only three more classes to finish: anatomy and physiology, survey of math and English.

Anatomy and physiology isn’t part of the typical curriculum, he said, but he wanted to try it because of an interest in physical education and the sports trainers and physical therapists on the field during sports activities. The class has been learning about the parts and functions of the human body, from muscles to the respiratory system.

Robertson said Summit is the best school he’s attended so far because of the energy and care teachers put into each student’s learning. He listed his three current teachers -- Ray Serverian, Ashly Smith and Sara Stahl -- as notable examples.

At Summit, Robertson said, teachers and staff “ask you why you’re not doing all your work and are more engaged with you as a person.�

"They’ll actually sit down, talk with you," he said. "If you’re having a hard day, they’ll make sure to send you somewhere where you can calm down, try to do a little bit of work. Teachers are just really helpful; the staff, they’re always helpful.�

After graduation, Robertson said he plans to apply to attend college and major in some combination of business, silversmithing and welding. His uncle taught him how to make Native American jewelry, and Robertson said he hopes to one day start a website to sell the various Native artwork that he makes, including handmade necklaces and rings.

In his free time, Robertson said he currently makes rugs and beaded earrings and is planning to resume making rings and bracelets soon.

He said his time at Summit High School taught him “that it’s really up to you to do your work, it’s not up to anybody else. School is really all about you.�

He advised students in similar situations to put in the needed effort to catch up on missing coursework.

“You can’t force it on anybody else. You have to put in the work, and don’t be afraid to ask anybody for help, because I feel like that's what school is,� he said.