inspirED

Meet our scholars, educators, donors and partners.

Transforming Our Community.
One Scholarship at a Time.

Step Up For Students Scholarships do more than fund education. They change lives. Students thrive in environments that fit their needs. Educators extend their reach to support vulnerable students. Communities grow stronger as educational systems improve.

This is inspireEd. Welcome.

Here, you will get an inside view of that transformation in progress. See what happens when students and their families discover the power of taking control over their academics. Watch as they forge new pathways to a better future. Find inspiration in their determination to achieve their dreams.

These are the stories of Florida students who have renewed hope because they have a school that better fits their needs or educational materials to unlock their potential. They are the stories of a community that has come together to support the belief that educational choice matters. Here, you can be a part of this incredible journey.

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Education choice scholarship a pleasant surprise for this military family stationed in Jacksonville

Jackson Pelletier’s enrollment at St. Paul’s Catholic School Riverside on an education choice scholarship began with a trip to the pediatrician. That’s when his parents, Natasha and Greg, noticed the private school in Jacksonville located across the street from the doctor’s office. The family had just moved to the area from San Diego after Greg, […]
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Education choice scholarship a boon for a military veteran and his family

MIRAMAR – William Ivins moved his family to South Florida ahead of his retirement from the United States Marine Corps and enrolled his children at Mother of Our Redeemer Catholic School, hoping they would reap the same rewards as he did from a faith-based education. But, as William and his wife, Claudia, would soon learn, […]
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Seven Seas Water Group donates $150,000 to help provide scholarships for Florida Students

Tampa, Fla.– Seven Seas Water Group (Seven Seas) has contributed $150,000 to Step Up For Students, helping more than 18 Florida schoolchildren access the education option that is best for them. Seven Seas is a multinational provider of Water-as-a-Service® solutions , specializing in owning and operating decentralized water and wastewater treatment plants. Since 2023, Seven […]
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PEP scholarship allows for 'A-plus homeschool experience' for one family

In July, Jessie Pedraza was reading through posts on a Facebook page for mothers who homeschool their children when she saw three words jump off her screen. Personalized Education Program. “I responded, ‘Hello. What is this?” Jessie said. So Jessie texted one of the moms. Then they met for coffee. “I picked her brain and […]
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From a vision to fliers to students: Former legislator finds new way to help kids – by starting a school

LEESBURG, Florida – The first tangible evidence of a new private school opening in town were the 1,500 fliers printed at Staples and handed to parents as they left a Publix supermarket. That’s how Darryl Reaves and his wife, Anette During, hoped to attract students to the K-8 school in Leesburg they planned to open […]
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From an idea to a goal to Emma's walk of a lifetime

Sarasota – It was time for the valedictorian to address the assembly, so Emma Howey rose from her seat in the front row of the auditorium, left her walker behind, and, with the help of her favorite teacher, made her way to the edge of the stage. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she remembered […]
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From Venezuela to the Naval Academy with the help of an education choice scholarship

RIVERVIEW – Rosa Salom Garcia’s car was reinforced to withstand bullets because the threat of being kidnapped was a part of everyday life in Venezuela. She was a leading eye surgeon in her native Caracas with a practice spread over multiple locations in the city. Her daughter, Maria Castillo Salom, attended private school. Life was […]
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Wherefore art thou Genevieve? She's directing the Tallahassee Homeschool Shakespeare Club

Drywall is piled three feet high in the attic of Emily and Alan Lemmon’s home in Tallahassee. It was placed there a few years ago, intended for walls as the couple finished the top floor. But these days the stack serves a different purpose. Surrounded by white sheets used as backdrops and placed directly under […]
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Taking control of their children's education with the help of the PEP scholarship

Gabriel Lynch III was born five months early and weighed 1.8 ounces when he entered this world fighting for his life. He spent his first three months in an Orlando hospital. When he was just weeks old, he was removed from an incubator and airlifted to a Tampa hospital for heart surgery. By then, Gabriel […]
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E'leese set a goal to graduate high school early and she did ... at age 12

It’s halfway through summer vacation and 12-year-old E’leese Shelton is bored. When you breeze through elementary and middle school and graduate high school before becoming a teenager, learning is your thing. So, the trip earlier this summer to North Carolina was nice. The family visited High Shoals Falls and escaped the Florida Panhandle heat. But, […]
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