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
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Beyond the Scholarship, Rising Stars, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
From Snowed in to Sunny Side: Joseph's journey to self-enrichment
Jun 13, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, Step Up For Students
Meet the SkiSibs: The sister/brother combo conquering Florida one triathlon at a time
Oct 17, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, School Choice, Step Up For Students
By running the Chicago Marathon, Caleb Prewitt continues to raise the bar for the Down syndrome community
Oct 16, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Military Family, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Education choice scholarship a 'game-changer' for military family transferring to Florida
Sep 16, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Personalized Education Program, Beyond the Scholarship, Scholarship News, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Lofty dreams and a PEP scholarship power 12-year-old pilot in training
Sep 8, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Personalized Education Program, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Chickens, horses and ed choice scholarships combine for an ideal home education setting
Sep 3, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
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Browse More From The Blog
20 years of Educational Opportunity, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, graduate, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Former Step Up For Students scholar chasing major league dream
On a sun-dappled Sunday afternoon in mid-April, Jay Allen gave his mother a gift she will treasure forever. With Deanna Singletary among the family members sitting in the front row behind the third base dugout at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, Jay hit his first home run of the season for the Daytona Tortugas, […]
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20 years of Educational Opportunity, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, graduate, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Education choice brought liberty, opportunity for immigrant
For Leidiana Candelario, moving from the Dominican Republic to Miami at age 8 was a major lifestyle transition. It didn’t go very well at first -- until an education choice scholarship from Step Up For Students changed everything. Leidiana was miserable in her assigned elementary school, describing herself as an “outcast.” Her unfamiliarity with English […]
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School Choice Boyz: Christopher Columbus High in Miami shows a recipe for success
Nathan Cunneen offered some thoughts on Christopher Columbus High School in Miami after he and Walter Blanks Jr. visited the school earlier this year, Nathan and Walter teamed to form the School Choice Boyz, a podcast to bring the value of education choice to a younger audience. They work for the American Federation of Children, where […]
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Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc. allocates $12 million to help Florida students
Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc., announced June 2 a $12 million contribution to Step Up For Students, helping nearly 1,575 deserving Florida schoolchildren access the right education to help them succeed. Since partnering with Step Up For Students in 2012, Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc., a leading wine, spirits, and beer distributor, has generously funded […]
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Education choice alumni has clear vision for his future: 'I want to be a missionary'
FORT MYERS, Florida – Zechariah Edwards sat inside the principal’s office at Sonshine Christian Academy one morning during the final days of his senior year and talked about his future. “I want to be a missionary,” he said. Interesting. Why? “That’s a pretty good question.” After a few moments of thought, he said, “As a […]
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CDW Helps Provide Technology Resources and Digital Equity to Step Up For Students
CDW has partnered with Step Up For Students to help provide technology resources and digital equity for recipients of Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, and the Reading Scholarship program. “At CDW, we understand how important it is for students to have access to the technology resources they need to be successful […]
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New autism center in Florida Keys offers education, therapy, resources – and hope
For 23 years, the Carrie Brazer Center for Autism in Miami has served students on the autism spectrum and others with neurodiverse conditions. During that time, Brazer, a Florida-certified special education teacher with a master’s degree in special education, noticed that families from the Florida Keys were driving as much as three hours to come […]
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Earthquake survivor uses education choice scholarship to become a 'Rising Star'
MARGATE, Florida – Sophonie Jean Baptiste was in the family’s second-floor apartment the day in 2010 when an earthquake rocked her native Haiti. She grabbed her daughter, Gema, who was not quite 3, and tried to run for safety while the three-story building they lived in crumbled. They didn’t make it. Nearly five hours later, […]
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20 years of Educational Opportunity, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Cancer doesn't interrupt path to med school for alumni of Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
It was the beginning of the 2019-20 school year and Luke Desclefs was smoothly sailing toward graduating Jacksonville’s Bishop Snyder High School that spring. His course load wasn’t heavy. His grades were in order. His plans for college were in place. Then in October, he noticed a lump on his neck. Cancer. Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a […]
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Education savings account allows Dylan to gain independence one step at a time
SEMINOLE, Florida – Dylan Quessenberry was 15 when he walked up a flight of stairs for the first time. It was 20 steps, linking two floors at his school. But for Dylan, who has cerebral palsy, that staircase was more than just a route to the cafeteria at Learning Independence For Tomorrow (LiFT) Academy, a […]
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