Student Profile

Kieffer Christianson spent his childhood chasing his older brothers. Now, it’s Kieffer whom others are trying to catch -- literally.

The 16-year-old Alpine skier, a junior at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, is making quite a name for himself on the slopes and is the top-ranked slalom and giant slalom skier in the United States for his age group. At age 14, he won the world championship for children 14 and younger in the Trofeo Topolino in Italy, competing against skiers from 44 nations. Kieffer won a gold medal in slalom and a silver in giant slalom to become the first American in the championship’s 47-year history to attain a gold and another medal the same year.

During his freshman year, he began taking courses from MU High School via a charter school in Anchorage. Because he followed a college-prep curriculum and his public high school allowed him to miss only 10 days each semester – he was on the snow 100 days each year – the Christiansons needed a way for Kieffer to further his education while pursuing his ski racing dreams. He continued MU courses his sophomore year, and during that time logged tens of thousands of miles traveling around the world training and racing.

“Our family cares about high-quality education, which is one of the reasons we chose MU,” says Kieffer’s mom, Cynthia. “It’s focused on helping the student learn, and he needed NCAA-approved courses in order to participate at NCAA Division I in college.”

“It was also important the courses be substantial enough to pass muster in college and provide him a solid academic preparation. We wanted him to be well prepared for college in a substantive academic sense, and MU’s courses did both.”

Cynthia says that while other online schools offer NCAA-approved courses, they would not provide adequate preparation for succeeding at a quality college.

“We did not want him to sacrifice a good education for flexibility of scheduling. MU’s courses have permitted him to stay on track for college and pursue his sport to the highest level, and they have proven to be excellent preparation for the school he’s now attending,” she says.

Kieffer agrees. “I knew the MU courses were good and rigorous at the time,” he says, “and I was pleased with how smooth the transition was to the academy. It allowed me to have a flexible schedule so I could compete. It worked out well.”

One class that stands out in particular is Spanish, because the instructor would work with him personally to help him learn. “I felt I was getting the best possible Spanish education I could,” he says, adding that he may take another MU course this summer.

Now that he’s enrolled in Burke Mountain Academy, he’s enjoying his new social life at school but remains committed to his education and, of course, his skiing. After high school, he hopes to attend an NCAA Division I college and be part of the U.S. Ski Team, where he wants to qualify for the World Cup.

“Kieffer lives, eats and breathes skiing,” Cynthia says, describing her son as modest, smart and positive, as well as a true character. “He’s always traveled his own road,” she says. “Excellence is a value in our family, but excellence in ski racing is totally his choice. We want to facilitate our children to do what they do really well. But you can’t put passion for a sport in their heart.”

Of course, having two older brothers to chase down the slopes has been an influence, as is his Alaskan background. “We’re Alaskan with a capital A,” Cynthia says. “Independence, self-reliance and trusting his own instincts characterize Kieffer and have been significant factors in his development. These are qualities that are part of his Alaskan heritage and characteristics we value as a family. In fact, Kieffer’s grandfather homesteaded an island off the coast of Alaska, and Kieffer spends part of every summer at our family’s cabin on the remote coast of southeastern Alaska, which we reach by boat.

“Kieffer typically spends his time there fishing for halibut or sometimes working with his dad on construction projects. A couple of summers ago, he set off on his own and staked out his own nine-hole disc golf course in the wilderness behind the cabin. It extended through several successive rows of foothills, where his challenges were not just the brown bears – coastal grizzlies – but not getting lost. This is typical Kieffer.”

The key to success, he knows, lies within himself. Winning in Italy, he says, “was a pretty amazing feeling, but you have to take it with a pinch of salt. I worked hard, but I have to keep working hard because everyone else is. There’s no guarantee. You have to rely on yourself. You work for what you get.”