
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.
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.
Latest Posts

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Adoption plus education choice scholarships give Conner and his siblings a chance to be 'best version of themselves'
Sep 19, 2023 • By Roger Mooney

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, graduate, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
An education choice scholarship has Carlos on the pre-med track at the University of Miami
Sep 12, 2023 • By Roger Mooney

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Her name is Sidjourney and she wants to make big changes in her community
Aug 28, 2023 • By Roger Mooney

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Scholarship News, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Many Step Up students are eligible to receive free computer/tablet and free internet service
Aug 9, 2023 • By Roger Mooney

Donor Corner, Scholarship News, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Gold Coast Eagle Distributing donates $4.8 million to help Florida schoolchildren
Aug 7, 2023 • By Roger Mooney

Reading Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Juliette is reading at grade level thanks to New Worlds Reading Scholarship Account
Jul 20, 2023 • By Roger Mooney
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Browse More From The Blog

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Adoption plus education choice scholarships give Conner and his siblings a chance to be 'best version of themselves'
BY ROGER MOONEY The transformation of Conner Davis from a young boy filled with social anxieties to an honor roll student and class leader was achieved through two life-altering events. First, he was adopted by a relative, which brought stability to his life. Second, Conner received an education choice scholarship. That allowed him to attend […]
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An education choice scholarship has Carlos on the pre-med track at the University of Miami
BY ROGER MOONEY In August, Carlos Felipe Gutierrez-Carranza began his freshman year at the University of Miami with a clear vision for his future. He wants to be a doctor. That goal was set during the summer of 2022 when he shadowed a physician for one week as part of his high school’s externship program. […]
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Her name is Sidjourney and she wants to make big changes in her community
BY ROGER MOONEY Let’s begin with the name: Sidjourney. Cheryl Knight planned to name her daughter Sidney, but after the complications Cheryl endured during pregnancy that included seven months of bed rest, she realized she had been through quite a journey. The baby was born in April 2005 in a Brooklyn, New York hospital, and […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Scholarship News, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Many Step Up students are eligible to receive free computer/tablet and free internet service
Many students who receive scholarships through Step Up For Students may be eligible to receive a free computer or tablet and up to five years of free internet service. Families that receive Medicaid, Medicare, free and reduced lunch, food stamps or other services are automatically eligible. The service is federally funded through the Affordable Connectivity […]
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Gold Coast Eagle Distributing donates $4.8 million to help Florida schoolchildren
SARASOTA, Fla.– Gold Coast Eagle Distributing has contributed more than $4.8 million to Step Up For Students, providing 605 Florida schoolchildren with access to the education options that best help them succeed. Gold Coast Eagle Distributing sells and markets all brands produced by Anheuser-Busch, Modelo/Corona, and many import and craft beers in Manatee and Sarasota […]
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Juliette is reading at grade level thanks to New Worlds Reading Scholarship Account
BY ROGER MOONEY Juliette Doyon was elated to score a Level 4 on her FAST ELA Reading for Progress Monitoring assessment test this past spring. It was almost two points higher than she scored at the beginning of the year. “I was really, really excited,” said Juliette, who completed the third grade at Valleyview Elementary […]
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Education choice scholarship was 'huge' in Miguel's journey to the top of his class at Notre Dame
BY ROGER MOONEY Miguel Coste delivered the salutatorian invocation in May during graduation at the University of Notre Dame. It was a 2 minute, 49 second prayer that set the tone for the ceremony that capped a commencement weekend that took his family on an emotional roller coaster. “So much joy,” Nordis Del Toro said. […]
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She paints, she cheers, she earns top grades: Brooke is back with help of Hope Scholarship
BY ROGER MOONEY LAKELAND – Brooke Bertsch is back. The one who loves to sketch and paint and who earns top grades in class. The one who smiles. That was Brooke before the bullying began in middle school. Before she became withdrawn and depressed. And that’s her now. “I feel good again,” she said. The […]
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The sky may not be the limit for this Step Up For Students scholar
BY ROGER MOONEY MIAMI – Julian Vazquez was 6 months old when he flew for the first time, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to London. He said he remembers some of the trip. Five seconds, maybe. Impossible, said his parents, but nearly 18 years later, Julian is sticking to his story. He can trace his […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, graduate, Rising Stars, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
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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