For many families, NuVu doesn’t look like a school at first glance. There are no rows of desks, no old school class formats, and no clear reference to the school of their past. And for parents, that can feel like a leap.

But for two very different families—Rizwan (Riz) Jamal, father of Owen, and Jennifer Rose-Wood, mother of Martin—that leap became a deliberate choice. One rooted in watching their children closely, and deciding that something different wasn’t just appealing—it was necessary.

Finding NuVu

For Riz, NuVu wasn’t a sudden decision—it was a slow build over years.

Owen first attended through NuVu’s Summer program, returning again and again for summer sessions. “Every summer he’d be like, ‘Don’t plan any vacations. I’m going to NuVu,’” Rizwan recalls. What started as a supplement to traditional school became something more telling: it was the place Owen wanted to be.

Still, Riz held onto a traditional path—at first. “We were like, no, traditional education is still the right way to go,” he says. But over time, it became clear that something wasn’t clicking. “It wasn’t feeding his passion, and it also wasn’t delivering on the academic element either.”

Jennifer’s introduction to NuVu was far less gradual—and almost accidental.  “We wouldn’t have found it unless my husband had run into NuVu faculty member Heide, with whom he had gone to school with,” she says. At the time, her son Martin was struggling in a large, traditional middle school. “He started really feeling sad about school… he never got a sense of joy and curiosity from his existing school.”

When Martin visited NuVu, the reaction was immediate. “He was overjoyed. He was like, ‘I want to go to school there.’ There was just no question.”

Taking the Leap

For both families, choosing NuVu meant stepping away from something familiar—and trusting what they were seeing in their child.

Riz describes it as a moment of clarity. “We saw his current school simply not working. So we just said, look, what are we doing? Let’s not just do the inertia thing.”

For Jennifer, the decision became clear once both emotional and practical pieces aligned. “The joy that he felt about this choice—it was just indisputable,” she says. And when financial aid made it possible, “there was no lack of clarity about what the right way forward was.”

Despite coming from different backgrounds—one with access to top-tier private schools, the other with decades in public education—both landed in the same place: traditional systems weren’t meeting their child where they were.

What They See Now

The biggest shift both parents describe isn’t just academic—it’s emotional.

Owen’s father doesn’t point to test scores or specific outcomes. Instead, he watches when his son comes home. “It’s seeing how he talks about the people and the projects, and his enthusiasm to go back and do more. And it’s been sustained over years. This is not a sugar high.”

Jennifer sees a similar change in Martin. “He’s excited to go to school. He comes home in a good mood. He talks to us about what he’s learning.” For a parent who had watched her child struggle, that shift is everything.

Both also push back on the assumption that a nontraditional model means sacrificing rigor.

“I feel like Owen is light years ahead of where he would’ve been academically,” says Rizwan.

Jennifer, drawing on 25 years in education, puts it more directly: “NuVu implements best practices for kids and learning. That is the gold standard.” She points to depth over breadth, hands-on work, and presentations as proof of mastery. “It’s one thing to write answers on a test. It’s another thing to present to an audience. That really shows you understand.”

Looking Ahead

Neither parent expects NuVu to produce a specific outcome. Instead, they talk about growth—how their children are learning to think, to explore, and eventually, to focus.

Rizwan hopes to see Owen’s curiosity mature. “It’s wonderful to have a thousand ideas—but ultimately you have to refine them and execute.” For him, NuVu creates the space for that evolution.

Jennifer sees NuVu preparing Martin not just for school, but for life. “Young people want to know—what am I getting out of this? How does this connect to my future?” she says. “NuVu is helping these students build real skills.”

Parent to Parent

For families considering NuVu, both parents offer a version of the same message: look closely at your child.

“Traditional school works for some, doesn’t work for many,” Rizwan says.

And from a veteran educator, Jennifer offers reassurance: “NuVu meets kids where they’re at, giving them challenge, support, and ownership of their learning—that’s what excellent education looks like.”

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