The Stories & Insights That Matter
Friends Find Fuel for their Dreams at MDAA
After facing bullying in elementary and middle school, Anaya Garnes decided she was going to map her own way through high school. During the Covid pandemic, she shifted to an online program but found ...
At New Marion Academy, ‘I Feel Much Better Here Than at Any Other School’
By Jeffrey GoodMako Velez is a strong student from an immigrant family that values education. Until she found Marion County Acceleration Academies, though, she had begun to wonder if a high school dip...
SLAA’s Deonna Parker: ‘You Need to Be True to Yourself’
“I was making stupid decisions with the wrong people,” says graduation candidate Deonna Parker. But at St. Lucie Acceleration Academies, she says the educators have never given up on her. “The teache...
Miami Grad Rufus Wallace: ‘They Were the Gasoline in my Car’
When Rufus Wallace was at a traditional public school, he struggle to maintain focus. And with so many other students, it was hard for his teachers to provide the kind of one-on-one help he craved. Tr...
LAA’s Cassius Murray: ‘I Can Just Get It Done At My Own Pace’
Cassius Murray is a quick study — so quick that they can lose ground when asked to move at the same pace as most of their classmates. “I almost ended up failing 8th grade math because I knew all the s...
Ja’Kerien Sutton: ‘I Just Let My Faith Be Bigger Than My Fear’
During the first semester of his senior year at a traditional high school, Ja’Kerien Sutton was on track to graduate with his class. But then an altercation with another student turned ugly and — just...
SAA Grad Bryce Johnson: Getting Back on Track Post-Pandemic
When the Covid pandemic shut his public high school in 2020, Bryce Johnson didn’t spend the long months toiling away at home via a remote learning program. He got a full-time job as a construction wor...
Joseph Bigot: ‘I Came for a Better Education’
When Joseph Bigot arrived from his native Haiti in 2017, he spoke mostly Creole and had to adjust to a very different education system. But he knew what he wanted, and he wasn’t afraid to do the work ...
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...