The Stories & Insights That Matter
Maria José Paz: ‘They Never Give Up on You. Never.’
When Maria Jose Paz’s mother died, she left behind a fervent wish: that her daughter complete her high school education and take the first step toward a better tomorrow.“She wanted me to have a better...
Mya Kirce: ‘They Put Me Back Together’
It wasn’t so long ago that Mya Kirce didn’t think she’d ever graduate. In the final stretch of her senior year at her old high school, family turmoil left her homeless and she lost hope. “I didn’t hav...
MDAA’s Nick Montolio: ‘I Had Space to Grow’
After facing hostility at his old high school, Nick Montolio found his learning home at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies. Today, he’s a proud grad. “For young adults … that are in the LGBTQ communit...
Maura Paredes: Finding Her Way Out of a ‘Black Hole’
For Maura Paredes, traditional high school was never the right fit. Navigating the crowded corridors, she felt her anxiety soar. When she would fall behind in class, she hesitated to raise her hand an...
Josiah Gadia Celebrated as ECAA’s First Graduate
Josiah Gadia was in his final semester of high school when the pressures of an unstable home life, the need to hold down a job, and the challenges of schoolwork became too much to bear. “I was really ...
SLAA Grad Antony Spence Reclaims Hope, Plans for College
For Antony Spence, the Covid pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was already losing ground in high school, falling behind in his studies and feeling socially ill at ease. When schools clos...
Savannah Payne: ‘She’s Wise Beyond Her Years’
Once Savannah Payne found her way to St. Lucie Acceleration Academy, she knew she was home. “It was comforting,” she said of the school where she found not only a personalized curriculum but educators...
‘It’s a Real Positive Energy Here that Helped Me Up’
When Markel Jackson first enrolled at Sarasota Acceleration Academies, he didn’t have much faith in his ability to do well in school — until the SAA staff began cheering him on. With that encouragemen...
St. Lucie Grad Olivia O’Neil: ‘Never Give Up’
Olivia O’Neil has high-flying dreams for herself. But she knew she couldn’t realize them without a high school diploma. “I found myself struggling in a traditional high school setting, never went to s...
Juvan Lester: Putting Mistakes in the Past, College in the Future
But for St. Lucie Acceleration Academies, Juvan Lester says, the grave mistake he made as a young teenager — a mistake that gave him a criminal record — might have defined and darkened his future path...
Denisha Palmer: ‘This was the only place that was able to help me’
Math doesn’t come easily but, as Denisha Palmer can tell you, neither does life. The young woman had almost completed high school when her daughter was born and she was thrown off track.. Two years la...
Miami Grad Malik Frye: ‘It Just Made Me Better’
Unlike most of his classmates at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies, Malik Frye had not spent time in a traditional school, sitting at a desk in a crowded classroom, changing classes with the bell, wai...