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
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, Step Up For Students
'Dramatic! You can underline that and write it in bold' – A mom's take on the impact of a PEP scholarship
Jan 20, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, Step Up For Students
'Dramatic! You can underline that and write it in bold' – A mom's take on the impact of a PEP scholarship
Jan 20, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Hybrid Learning, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
For this family, hybrid home education includes a class at the district high school
Dec 19, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
A Man for Others: Jesuit High senior embodies the school's commitment to serve those in need
Dec 18, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Scholarship News, School Choice, Step Up For Students
The challenges of attending a private school prepared the Mathis siblings for the challenges of life
Dec 17, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Step Up For Students, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Spotlights
This experience is fun, exciting, scary: What is appearing on 'Jeopardy!'?
Dec 11, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
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Browse More From The Blog
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
SAFETY HARBOR, Florida – Edelweiss Szymanski turns 10 on a Friday in December. She will celebrate the milestone by running a 5-kilometer race in Daytona Beach. The next day, she’s scheduled to compete in a triathlon. No pizza party. No theme park. How many 10-year-olds want to run three miles on their birthday, then swim, […]
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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
Caleb Prewitt continued to shatter the perception of what someone with Down syndrome can’t do when he conquered the 26.2-mile course at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 12. Caleb, 18, became the youngest person with Down syndrome to earn an Abbott Star for running one of the original six World Major Marathons. […]
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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
It’s been a month since classes started, and Matthew Ottenwess is settled into his freshman year at Tampa Catholic High School. He’s made friends and likes his teachers. His high score on the school’s entrance exam gained him admission to three honors classes and one AP course. He plays linebacker on the junior varsity football […]
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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
MELBOURNE – When it comes to her son’s education, Denice Santos always thinks about the big picture. “What can we do to merge his goals?” she said. “Education, and then, of course, becoming a pilot.” Her son, William, 12, has wanted to fly airplanes for half his life. He took control of a plane for […]
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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
This is what home education looks like to Vivian McCoy: Feeding horses in the morning. Mucking stalls, too. Doing the same in the late afternoon, plus whatever else needs to be done at the horse farm where she works part-time. In between, Vivian, who is in the ninth grade, and her sister, Genevieve, second grade, […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Beyond the Scholarship, graduate, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
With the help of a private school scholarship, Duke is 'ready for the bigger world'
CLEARWATER – Gedontae “Duke” Rich never considered himself Ivy League material until, as a high school junior, he was approached by a football coach from Princeton University who offered a scholarship. Not long after, he received a similar offer from a football coach at Cornell University. “The college scholarship part, I could probably see myself […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Beyond the Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Of Funyuns, Skinny Pop, and iced tea: How Jack brought healthy snacks to his school
TAMPA – It was July 2024, and Jack Canterbury celebrated a birthday. His 14th. That led to a question he had been waiting a while to ask his mother. “Can I get a job?” Maria Canterbury had promised her son he could start working when he reached that age, and Jack had some employment opportunities […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Private school scholarships allowed the Roland family to meet the academic needs of their children
Markala was Marlena and John Roland’s first child, and there were more on the way – four more, in all. And Markala was 5, so the Roland children were going to reach school age in quick succession. This presented a dilemma. “We wanted our kids in private school, but we didn’t have the money,” Marlena said. But there was hope. The year was […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Beyond the Scholarship, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
This kid can do things: The Caleb Prewitt Story
JACKSONVILLE – David Prewitt was worried. His wife, Karen, wasn’t. “He can do it,” she said. Their son Caleb, 13 at the time, was participating in his first open-water swim, something he needed to conquer if he was going to complete his first triathlon. One thing you need to know about Caleb: He has Down […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, graduate, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Books, banners, boats and National Merit Scholarships
CLEARWATER, Florida – They are honor students and athletes. Volunteers in the community and student ambassadors at school. One is a champion sailor who has competed in the national and international regattas in places like Canada, Argentina, and Poland One is a state champion cheerleader. There is an Eagle Scout who won a district championship […]
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