Lourdes Escobar: Aeon Student-Athlete Spotlight
We recently sat down with Lourdes Escobar, an Aeon student-athlete from Colombia and the current national champion in park skateboarding for her division.
Lourdes has been skateboarding for four years and has spent the past two years competing with the Colombian national team. As the Director of Sports Partnerships at Aeon, I wanted to learn more about her experience, her goals, and how Aeon has helped her balance school, sport, travel, and her creative passions.
Why Aeon?
When Lourdes began competing internationally, traditional schools quickly became difficult to manage.
She explained that once she started traveling and competing with the Colombian national team, attending a normal school was no longer realistic.
“I wasn’t going to be able to go to a normal school.”
For Lourdes and her family, Aeon stood out because it offered both flexibility and a strong academic experience.
“We really liked everything about it. The curriculum, the books we read, everything seemed really interesting. It felt like the right fit.”
That combination mattered. Lourdes was not looking for an easier school. She needed a school that could support her athletic career while still challenging her academically every single day.
A Day Built Around Performance
One of the biggest benefits Lourdes has experienced at Aeon is the ability to structure her day around both training and school.
She often starts her mornings with exercise, breakfast, and several hours of skateboarding. After training, she transitions into schoolwork, classes, and other projects.
“I can skate during the day, I can work on my projects, and I can divide my day how I want.”
That flexibility has allowed her to stay committed to her sport without sacrificing her education.
“I plan my day around my classes.”
For student-athletes, this type of schedule can make all the difference. Lourdes is able to train, compete, study, and still make time for the other passions that matter to her.
Challenging Academics That Fit Her Life
A common misconception about flexible or online education is that it is less rigorous. Lourdes made it clear that her experience at Aeon has been the opposite.
“It’s not an easy school. It’s actually really challenging. You learn a lot.”
What makes Aeon different is not that students do less work. It is that the work fits into a structure that allows high-performing students to manage their responsibilities more effectively.
Lourdes described how she is able to stay on top of her assignments while also traveling, competing, and training at a high level.
Learning Through Projects
One of the parts of Aeon that Lourdes appreciates most is the project-based learning model.
Instead of simply memorizing information for tests, she gets to build, create, and apply what she is learning.
“I’ve definitely learned more through projects than exams. With exams, you memorize everything and then forget it. With projects, you actually live what you’re learning.”
For Lourdes, this kind of learning is memorable because it connects school to real ideas, real creativity, and real understanding.
More Than an Athlete
Lourdes is not only a national champion skateboarder. She is also an aspiring filmmaker.
During our conversation, she shared that she has written her first feature film and is preparing to direct it.
“I wrote my first feature film, and now we’re actually going to shoot it.”
What started as a small idea has grown into a real production, with a cinematographer, crew support, actors, and equipment.
“We have a cinematographer coming, we have a crew, and it’s becoming a real production.”
This is one of the most impressive parts of Lourdes’s story. Aeon gives her the flexibility to pursue skateboarding at a national level while also building serious creative projects outside of sport.
Support That Makes a Difference
Lourdes also spoke about the support she receives from her dean and teachers.
Her dean helps her organize her schedule, especially when she is traveling or competing. That support helps her stay connected, prepared, and on track.
“My dean helps me organize everything, especially when I’m traveling or competing. She talks to my teachers and helps me plan my schedule. It makes everything way easier.”
Her teachers have also played an important role in helping her manage school alongside a demanding athletic schedule.
“They’re really understanding. They help me catch up when I need to and make sure I stay on track and get good grades.”
This balance of flexibility, communication, and accountability is what allows student-athletes like Lourdes to thrive.
What She Would Tell Other Families
When asked what she would say to another student-athlete family considering Aeon, Lourdes was clear.
“It’s been a really good experience. It’s a real school, you learn a lot, and it’s not easy. But you can manage your day and still do everything you want to do.”
That answer captures so much of what makes Aeon different.
Students are challenged academically, supported personally, and given the freedom to pursue the things that make them who they are.
Looking Ahead
Lourdes’s goals are big.
In skateboarding, she continues to compete internationally and dreams of reaching the Olympic stage. Outside of sport, she plans to study cinema and pursue a future in film.
She also shared that Aeon’s college counseling has helped her begin thinking seriously about what comes next.
“The college counseling here is really good. They’ve been helping me figure out what I need to get into the schools I want.”
The Aeon Model in Action
What stood out most from my conversation with Lourdes is that she is not choosing between being a student, an athlete, and a creator.
She is all three.
Aeon gives her the structure, flexibility, and support to build a life around her goals instead of forcing her to fit into a traditional model that was never designed for her path.
As Lourdes put it:
“I can do everything I want to do. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it without Aeon.”
That is what Aeon makes possible.
If you're a student-athlete looking for a school that can keep up with your training schedule — or a parent trying to find the right academic fit — explore how Aeon supports student-athletes or start the application process.