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 Students with Unique Abilities, Gardiner Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Sugar and spice and tackles: Payton wants to coach football just like her dad
Jan 16, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
Personalized Education Program, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
A student with many interests has many options thanks to his Personalized Education Program
Mar 18, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Gardiner Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
What can Emma do? Amazing things, that's what
Mar 4, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
With education choice scholarship, parents feel they are doing 'something greater' for Emilio
Feb 22, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Education choice scholarship a 'humongous blessing' for straight-A student Briana
Feb 9, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Gardiner Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Nearly housebound by a rare set of genetic disorders, Tristan has seen the world thanks to his ESA and virtual reality
Feb 4, 2024 • By Roger Mooney
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Our dedication to students doesn’t end when they receive a scholarship. Your support will enable Step Up to maximize the impact of the scholarships the students receive.
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Browse More From The Blog
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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Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company donates $5 million to help Florida students
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.– Step Up For Students announced April 28 a $5 million contribution to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program fromUniversal Property & Casualty Insurance Company (UPCIC), helping more than 655 Florida schoolchildren attend the K-12 school that best fits their learning needs. Since 2017, UPCIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Insurance Holdings, […]
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Podcast: Florida mom looks forward to additional benefits of education savings account
reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Karen Prewitt, whose son, Caleb, 15, is benefitting from a change in Florida law that is merging the McKay Scholarship program into the state’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities. Click here to listen to the podcast. Born with Down Syndrome, Caleb attends North Florida School […]
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Podcast: Young, energetic and eager to enlighten a new audience about Education Choice
On this podcast, Walter Blanks Jr. and Nathan Cunneen talk about their new endeavor, the School Choice Boyz podcast with Roger Mooney, manager, communications, at Step Up For Students. Both Walter and Nate are products of school choice. Nate attended Bradenton Christian School in Florida on a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. Walter attended private schools […]
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Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, School Spotlights, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Northeast Florida Catholic school lauded for outreach efforts to immigrant families
BY LISA BUIE A parochial school program intent on extending education choice to children of migrant workers has received a national award for its efforts. The National Catholic Education Association announced that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School in Palm Coast, Florida, will receive the Catherine T. McNamee CSJ Award. The award is given to an individual or institution […]
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Two families, football and education choice helps Junior realize his dreams of a college scholarship
TAMPA, Florida – Jessie “Junior” Vandeross considers himself “blessed” because: His father died when he was 3. He has a heart murmur that was detected when he was in the seventh grade and threatened to end his athletic career. The grim memories of the day his father passed away surfaced when Junior was in the […]
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Catholic high school returns to Key West. Scholarships help make it possible
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Catholic high school education will return to Key West. The Basilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea, which currently educates students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, this week announced plans to add grades 9 and 10 in August 2023. The Basilica High School will be […]
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Sisters make education choice scholarships a family affair
It has been nearly a decade since Jasmine and Emily Rojas graduated Abundant Life Christian Academy as eighth graders, yet in a sense, they never left. The sisters still email or visit their former teachers and volunteer for school activities. When Jasmine needed a letter of recommendation for dental school, she turned to Abundant Life […]
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