Like most teenagers, Nyla Moss is finding her way in the world. She’s figuring out how she’ll carve out her own space, and how the world fits in that space. And, she’s doing all this with the support of an amazing village, and her biggest fan, her mom!

From music and musical theater to leadership development and academic success, eighth grade Academy student Nyla is doing big things and inspiring others to do the same.

Hail to the chief—or the president of NJHS—Nyla Moss
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) recognizes outstanding middle school students who demonstrate excellence. NJHS is a branch of the National Honor Society (NHS), which is geared toward high school students.

Membership in NJHS is based on a student’s academic performance, community involvement, and personal qualities. To be considered for membership, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and demonstrate a commitment to service, leadership, and good character. Students who meet these criteria are invited to apply for membership and go through a rigorous selection process that includes faculty recommendations, an application review, and an interview.

Nyla’s incredible work ethic, strong grades, leadership among her peers, and dedication to her community made her a strong candidate for NJHS membership.

“When I was invited to join the National Junior Honor Society, I was already looking for different leadership roles. I looked at who the different past presidents and vice presidents were, and knew I wanted to apply.”

Nyla currently serves as the president of NJHS. The faculty and her peers couldn’t be more impressed by her leadership, poise, and guidance, stating that she embodies the pillars of NJHS—scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship—in everything she does.

NJHS membership offers Nyla a range of benefits, including the opportunity to participate in community service projects, develop leadership skills, and build a sense of camaraderie with like-minded students.

“Through NJHS I’m learning how to lead different groups of diverse people and trying to incorporate that into my leadership style,” says Nyla.

Nyla works alongside other student leaders, including Rohan Adwankar, to encourage their peers to be the best they can be. They work with their peers and advisors to help guide each other to serve within their own communities.

“In addition to leadership development, we encourage each other to perform acts of service, like helping with younger kids or seeing a need like picking up trash,” explains Nyla. “Those are the little things that add up to big things that change the world. Engaging us in the caring and compassion to see other people in need of help and then helping, instills this in us as we grow.”

Nyla Moss is on her way to becoming a next generation leader
In January, Nyla, along with several of her Academy peers, participated in the Future City Competition. The team presented their model of “The City of Angels,” an underground city of tomorrow, taking second place out of 19 teams in the Southern California regional competition.

After months of collaborating online, team members from Florida, North and South Carolina, Calgary, and Bosnia, came together in California, bringing their pieces of the model to assemble and finalize their presentation.

The competition challenges students to tackle issues like climate change and environmental disasters. They’re asked to imagine what these issues might do to our planet and to design a futuristic city with innovative solutions to some of today’s most pressing sustainability issues.

The Academy team chose to imagine and build an underground city, taking into account how they might grow agriculture in a dark environment or build sustainable housing. As the project manager, Nyla, and her peers, did a great deal of research to support their underground city concept.

“Participating in the Future City competition was life changing in a way,” says Nyla. “I did not understand how a virtual school could come together across the world to build a model and write an essay online, but we did! And I think that it really showed the strength, determination, and passion of everyone on the team.”

Balancing academics, leadership, and passions
When she’s not inspiring her peers, Nyla is an accomplished pianist and musical theater actor. She previously played Rafiki in the musical adaptation of “The Lion King.” She also performed with her local theater in the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, her troupe was awarded Best in Acting.

Flexing her musical side, Nyla participated in a partnership with Forte Lessons. Laurel Springs students in the Forte partnership connect with a musical mentor for online music lessons with world-class musicians.

“Laurel Springs helped me enhance my growth in learning piano with the Forte music partnership,” says Nyla. “I was able to train with a wonderful instructor in what felt like a very customized experience.”

“The instructor I worked with provided me with techniques for listening to music and really feeling the music, instead of just playing the notes.”

Nyla’s biggest fans
Nyla’s mom is her biggest fan, and Nyla is certainly a big fan of her mom as well.

“Because of my mom, I’m strong. I’m able to grow and have all of these opportunities. Because of my mom, I’m in this school. And, because of my mom, I’ve learned her habits. I see how she moves and flows through her workspace and who she is. I try to pick up on as much as I can to be like her.”

Nyla—and her mom—enjoy a close relationship with her counselor, Mrs. Bindler.

“Having Mrs. Bindler is really, really special, “ says Nyla. “When I joined The Academy, I was struggling to balance my coursework. She gave me a schedule of the assignments that I needed to do weekly, and through biweekly check-ins, we evaluate what I accomplish.”

At Laurel Springs, counselors and Academy counselors support students holistically. They provide guidance and resources for college and career preparedness, while also supporting student’s academic and mental health through a social-emotional learning curriculum designed to help students progress academically and interpersonally.

“Talking to Mrs. Bindler about all the things that I’m able to do is really fun,” says Nyla. “She sends me these really cool emails when she’s heard about the things I’ve done. They just make my day.”

What’s next for Nyla?
What started as a sixth-grade education solution during the COVID-19 pandemic, became a community for Nyla. She joined The Academy with the intention of it being temporary, asked to stay for middle school, and plans to graduate from Laurel Springs in the future.

And, all these extracurriculars? With her mom’s encouragement, she’s using her time at The Academy to explore any and all of her interests, helping to inform future decisions like what she’ll study in college and what career she’ll pursue.

When prompted, Nyla shares, “because of Laurel Springs, I found my fit.”

Watching Nyla navigate relationships with her peers, teachers, counselors, the faculty, and her mom, she radiates poise and confidence. Whatever Nyla chooses, she’ll be an inspiring leader.

And, what does her biggest fan feel about all this? Dr. Gayla Bivens shared her thoughts on her daughter’s experience at Laurel Springs.

“I just want to say that this experience at Laurel Springs School has been absolutely amazing,” says Dr. Gayla Bivens. “We can find a lot of negative things to say in our space of COVID. But for this, I’m grateful for finding this experience because it’s changed my perspective about this whole concept of online school and socialization.”

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