Category: Student Spotlights

We’ve found “128” articles in category archives for “Student Spotlights”

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Picture of an African American girl in her cap and gown. She's holding flowers and a balloon. She's looking back towards the camera.

Her home life may be chaotic, but Kaylia has Ivy League-potential and big plans for her future

BY ROGER MOONEY MARGATE, Florida – Kaylia Powell’s home life is in a constant state of flux. At times, she has lived apart from her mom and separated from her brothers and sisters. She has lived with friends and, for a few months this year, at the home of a teacher. She has lived with […]
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An education choice scholarship helped JR be all that he can be

BY ROGER MOONEY PLANTATION, Florida – There was no way William “JR” Moreland was taking AP Language and Composition as a junior, or so he thought. He heard it was hard, harder than Honors English, which he aced. “The difference between honors (classes) and AP is completely night and day,” JR said. “You think it’s […]
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Picture of two young boys. The taller boy is wearing glasses and has a medal for "Rising Stars"

The bus ride to school is long but the opportunity for a Catholic education is well worth the trip

BY ROGER MOONEY PALM COAST – Every school day at 7 a.m., a small bus rolls to a stop in front of the rectory of the Catholic church in Crescent City. Waiting to board are a handful of students, including Jesus Martinez-Cruz and his little brother, Christian. They are headed on a 50-minute ride to […]
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photo of young african american boy grinning teeth at the camera

From a chaos to calm: How an education choice scholarship is changing David's life

BY ROGER MOONEY PINELLAS PARK – David Facey remembers sitting in his Language Arts class last year hoping for salvation. Hoping someone would pull the fire alarm. Drastic, yes, but anything to bring class to an end. The other students were nearly finished with their writing assignment. David had written only three words. His teacher […]
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headshot of girl wearing green cap and gown

Of dreams, sacrifices and an education choice scholarship: How one high school grad has her sights set on becoming a doctor

BY ROGER MOONEY MIAMI – Nery Perez-Valdes wanted to become a doctor, but life got in the way. She fled Cuba for Miami with her mom when she was 11 and found herself working at 14 to help pay the bills. Nery would become a single mom and for a long stretch worked two jobs […]
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With nowhere else to turn, Juliet Sanomi started her own school for students on the spectrum

BY ROGER MOONEY PLANTATION, Florida ­­– Joshua Akabosu was nearly hit by a truck when he was 10. He had run from school that day, as he often did. Announced to the class he was going home, then bolted through a door and into the neighboring streets. An aide, whose job was to shadow Joshua […]
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Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company donates $5 million to Step Up's scholarship program

Step Up For Students announced April 26 a $5 million contribution to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program from Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company (UPCIC), helping nearly 630 Florida schoolchildren attend the K-12 school that is best for them. Since 2017, UPCIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., has generously funded […]
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A young artist blossoms with the love of her grandparents and the help of an education choice scholarship

BY ROGER MOONEY PLANT CITY – Lilly Bowden flipped through her sketch pad and proudly showed off her work. There’s a fox on one page and a cat on another. A giraffe from the neck up and a mountain range in all its purple majesty. One drawing begins on one side of a page and […]
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podcastED: Florida mom expresses gratitude for scholarship that benefits her daughter, contributes to her own success as tutor, advocate

On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Danyse Streets, a reading specialist who owns and operates Bridging the Reading Gap, a tutoring and special education advocacy company in Fleming Island, Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Her 12-year-old daughter, Kate, receives a Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, which Streets uses […]
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Jaylen's challenge: A mission to prevent bullying while creating Tourette Syndrome awareness

BY ROGER MOONEY LAKELAND – Jaylen Arnold was 8 when he walked into his old elementary school to speak with two dozen or so former classmates, many of whom had recently taunted and physically bullied him. Jaylen was scared. His mother, Robin, walking beside him, was proud. The meeting was Jaylen’s idea. He wanted to […]
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