John Holcomb

Hi, my name is John Holcomb. I am a 19-year-old unschooler.

My father died when I was nine and my house burnt down in December of 2021. I have used both of these experiences, with the help of my incredible mom, to become a better version of me and I am so grateful for all of it. If I could change either of those experiences I wouldn’t, because I love who I am today and I wouldn’t be me without those experiences. I believe there is no bad change only painful change, and I hope from what you just read, you can take away that your experiences don’t define you, you define your experiences.

Last year, from early June to early August, I was in Alaska as a commercial fisherman. It was an amazing opportunity and experience. It was hard work and really put me to the test; in fact I almost got kicked off the crew because I wasn’t giving it my all. But I was able to kick it into gear and had a great time while out on the water for 47 days. I had a lot of time to myself, which allowed me to reflect on a lot of things in my life. One of my crewmates and I had a lot of incredible conversations which helped me move forward. They truly made the experience even better.

I am currently working with a homeschool enrichment program called Kiva. I was a student of this program for seven years and I’m now a mentor-in-training. I am also working with one of the ex-mentors of the Kiva program in his new flooring business and he is helping me build what it means to be a man for me.