As a former missionary and dance school founder, director, and teacher, even though two generations before her had been leaders in educational programs, Ariel never imagined she would help start a homeschool academy.  Growing up in Virginia, she was homeschooled K-12th and watched her parents start a homeschool academy, which benefitted her greatly (along with many others) through the community and instructor expertise it provided, all the while still allowing her the advantage of being homeschooled: the ability to accelerate learning, have extra time to devote to her rigorous ballet schedule, do an internship in her field of interest as a senior, etc. 

In 2023 she began looking around the Kansas City Metro for a good fit for her son. Similar to what she had experienced, she wanted the homeschool benefits of overseeing and being involved in his education without the pressure to plan all the details out. She knew her son would benefit most from a group setting and other more experienced teachers linking arms to provide a strong framework she could use to launch off from. She also wants to see learning happen through hands-on, nature-rich methods, and has been greatly inspired by farm-schools. Most of all, her passion is to see her son and others grow up knowing and deeply loving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As Ariel searched for and visited schools and co-ops, she was surprised she was struggling to find what she had in mind - the multi-day, hands-on academic support for elementary homeschool families was not as readily available as she had imagined. So with “necessity as the mother of invention”, she linked arms with her dear homeschooling friend, Kim Ladish, and starting with little weekly prayer times where they prayed together for their children, the Lord moved and has brought forth Tree of Life Academy.