All Gabby wanted was to graduate this May; being valedictorian was a plus

BRADENTON – The valedictorian sash is typically gold, symbolizing high achievement and excellence. Gabrielle Ford slipped it over her shoulders when she tried on her graduation gown at school a month before the event.

She called the moment “surreal.”

“I still feel like, ‘What am I doing?’” she said.

What she is doing is graduating at the top of her class from CES Academy in Bradenton, the K-12 private school that she and her three younger brothers attend with the help of Florida education choice scholarships managed by Step Up For Students.

A Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Opportunities played a big role. It allowed her parents to afford a private school education.

“I'm ecstatic about it. I couldn't be happier,” her mom, Cristal, said. “If it wasn't for Step Up, we wouldn't be here right now. So, it's really, it's helped out tremendously.”

Gabrielle -- “Gabby” to her family and friends -- did the rest.

She arrived on campus at the start of this school year as a junior. She had been held back a year during elementary school, and like many students, she struggled with home education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which left her further behind.

Gabby, 18, adjusted well to the classroom setting when she returned to a brick-and-mortar school, first at her district school, then at a private school in Tampa. But the students her age were a grade ahead and on pace to graduate this May. When she asked school administrators if she could increase her course load and catch up to her grade, she was told no.

“They said I wanted to do it to follow other kids, and that I wasn’t doing it for myself,” Gabby said. “I felt discouraged. I started doubting my own abilities.”

Cristal began looking for another school. She reached out to Donnie Carver, the principal at CES Academy in Bradenton, located an hour south of their Riverview home. (There are nine such academies in Florida, each one fully accredited through Cognia.) That would make for a long commute in the morning, but Cristal was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant placing Gabby in the right academic setting.

She and Gabby met with Principal Carver. They told him of Gabby’s goal. They asked if it was possible to make up that much ground in one school year. The answer: Yes, if you’re willing to put in the work -- and it would be a lot of work.

In addition to an ambitious course load, there would be credit recovery classes. She would take in-person and online courses. Also, she would be dual-enrolled at Southeastern University in Lakeland.

“She got after it,” Principal Carver said. “You have to have a lot of perseverance. You have to have a true desire. This is something you have to want to do.

“And you just kind of have to give up a lot of other stuff, your weekends, your nights, to make it happen.”

So, Cristal chauffeured Gabby and her brothers – Robert (sixth grade), Emilio (fifth), and Raphael (fourth) – down Interstate 75. Then she would spend her day at the library until it was time to join the pickup line.

“I just really sacrificed my time, because their education is really important to me,” Cristal said. “Their comfort is really important. I want them in a school where they're accepted and taken care of. That was all I needed.”

A month into the school year, Cristal applied for and received a job at CES as a teacher’s aide.

Gabby took courses at CES in finance, life management, United States history, English language arts, and Spanish. When she returned home, she took online classes in geography, German, and environmental science.

In between, she took online classes at Southeastern University in sociology, psychology, and college success.

She made up her junior year of high school, completed her senior year, and took a year's worth of college courses.

“She basically took three school years in one,” Principal Carver said.

Gabby said she spent at least 12 hours a day during the week taking classes and more on the weekend. And she was grateful for the opportunity.

“I enjoyed the learning aspect of it because I was doing something productive for myself, so let me keep at it,” she said.

While the plan to wear a cap and gown this May was daunting, Gabby said it wasn’t daunting enough not to at least try.

“I always have some type of hope in myself,” she said. “If there's a path to take, even if I'm scared to take it, I always take it. You have to prioritize yourself and go for it. If you feel like you can do it, go for it immediately.”

Gabby has a 4.1 grade point average in her high school classes and a 4.0 in her dual-enrollment courses. She’s earned enough scholarships and received enough grants that her tuition at Southeastern is basically covered. She wants to major in business. She’s also an excellent cook – she makes everything from scratch – so culinary arts and a career as a chef might be a possibility, too.

“Her generation is so different,” Cristal said. “A lot of kids are not as determined, and one thing about Gabby, she's always been determined. She doesn’t lose faith. She'll have her little hiccups, but she just keeps it moving. I've been watching her, and I'm just amazed. I'm so proud of her. I'm extremely proud of her.”

Cristal said she can’t stop talking about Gabby, even at home, where Gabby’s six brothers and sisters have to hear about her success.

“She’s earned it,” Cristal said. “Everybody’s just stoked about it. Her dad (Robert). Her brothers and sisters. So, we want to celebrate her, we want her to feel good, and we want to send her off right.”

Family from outside Florida is flying in for the party. There is a dress code. Dress shirt and pants for the men. The women have to wear dresses. But not pink. That’s what Gabby’s wearing.

“She’s something else,” Cristal said.

“And there will be an afterparty,” Gabby said.

That’s how you celebrate perseverance, excellence, and high achievement.

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].