Shelly Billingsley Advertisement

You could call Shelly Billingsley an out-of-the-box thinker.

That's why she graduated this month from Insight School of Nevada, an accredited online school in its first year of operation. As salutatorian, she earned the second highest grades in her class, garnering A's and B's in every subject.

Born with cerebral palsy, Billingsley didn't walk or talk until age 3, but today, just a week shy of her 18th birthday, Billingsley is a well spoken young woman who doesn't believe in letting challenges hold her back.

"I had surgery when I was 7, but other than that I can do whatever I want to do. I know I have it, but a lot of times I forget about it. I don't pay attention to it. I think people should know they can do whatever they really want to do. That's my philosophy. Life gives you challenges and you have to just move on and hopefully you can encourage others."

Billingsley's health didn't deter her parents, either. They took her in as a foster child when she was 3-1/2 months old and adopted her as soon as they were legally able. All told, Jean and Dean Billingsley fostered 86 children over a 21-year period.

Shelly loved all the children. That's why she wants to be an elementary school teacher.

She took a giant step toward her goal June 12, when she attended her orientation at UNLV, "Now I'm officially a Rebel," she said.

The label fits well for a girl who took an alternative path for her education. She was enrolled in Pahrump's Pathways program through the Nye County School District in seventh and eighth grades and enrolled in Pahrump Valley High School in her freshman year.

"I transferred back to Pathways in the fourth quarter of my freshman year because there was just too much drama. There was a lot of foul language and references to sex all the time. I was just tired of it. But I have a lot of friends in this year's graduating class and I'm sure we'll reconnect at UNLV," she said.

"At Insight, we had a very small graduation, but I liked it that way. We just had our families there."

Family is important to Billingsley. "I got my love of children from the way I was raised. When I am able to, I would like to be a foster parent. I would like to adopt a child, too."

Billingsley noted that it's not always easy fostering children. "We had one girl for three years before she got parents. We loved her so much it was hard for us to let her go. But we knew if was best for her and when her parents took her to Disneyland, we were so happy.

"You get attached to the kids. I try not to, but there is no way I can't get attached. It's hard but you know that you have helped that child as well as the family, so that's a plus.

"I just love little kids. I have had all these little kids and I just love them all."

The Billingsley family moved from Mira Loma, Calif., to Pahrump in 1998. "When we first moved here, the water in the duck pond was clear. I used to go to the old library by the duck pond and I miss it there under the trees."

Shelly said she found Pahrump a lot different than California. "There's a lot of stuff to do here. You can ride dirt bikes and there's horses and reading. Reading is a lost form of entertainment. I think video games are pointless.

"I am heavy into cars. I love to work on them. You can't tinker and work on cars in California because there are regulations. I am learning how to weld. We have a '34 Ford that my dad and I are about half done working on. The car is for me.

"I just love cars. I want to go on one of those tours in my '34 Ford -- stopping in little towns for lunch and getting together with people who have my same interest in cars."

Billingsley may think a little out of the box, but that just contributes to this well rounded scholar's fresh approach to life.