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, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Rising Stars, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Jaclyn is a go-getter, a mentor, and now a high school graduate
Jun 1, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Inspired by his parents' sacrifices, Henry is headed to the University of Notre Dame and is reaching for the stars
Jul 21, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Through their books, Max and Gavin want to empower young readers to believe in themselves
Jul 14, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
PEP scholarship benefits students 'whose needs don’t fit inside the one-size-fits-all system'
Jul 6, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Military Family, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
What does America mean to Caleb? Freedom, honor, and a whole lot more
Jun 29, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, graduate, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Here's the pitch: How a Florida educational choice scholarship helped Cam earn a baseball scholarship
Jun 23, 2026 • 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
Seven Seas Water Group donates $150,000 to help provide scholarships for Florida Students
Tampa, Fla.– Seven Seas Water Group (Seven Seas) has contributed $150,000 to Step Up For Students, helping more than 18 Florida schoolchildren access the education option that is best for them. Seven Seas is a multinational provider of Water-as-a-Service® solutions , specializing in owning and operating decentralized water and wastewater treatment plants. Since 2023, Seven […]
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PEP scholarship allows for 'A-plus homeschool experience' for one family
In July, Jessie Pedraza was reading through posts on a Facebook page for mothers who homeschool their children when she saw three words jump off her screen. Personalized Education Program. “I responded, ‘Hello. What is this?” Jessie said. So Jessie texted one of the moms. Then they met for coffee. “I picked her brain and […]
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School Spotlights, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Step Up For Students
From a vision to fliers to students: Former legislator finds new way to help kids – by starting a school
LEESBURG, Florida – The first tangible evidence of a new private school opening in town were the 1,500 fliers printed at Staples and handed to parents as they left a Publix supermarket. That’s how Darryl Reaves and his wife, Anette During, hoped to attract students to the K-8 school in Leesburg they planned to open […]
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Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Beyond the Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
From an idea to a goal to Emma's walk of a lifetime
Sarasota – It was time for the valedictorian to address the assembly, so Emma Howey rose from her seat in the front row of the auditorium, left her walker behind, and, with the help of her favorite teacher, made her way to the edge of the stage. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she remembered […]
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From Venezuela to the Naval Academy with the help of an education choice scholarship
RIVERVIEW – Rosa Salom Garcia’s car was reinforced to withstand bullets because the threat of being kidnapped was a part of everyday life in Venezuela. She was a leading eye surgeon in her native Caracas with a practice spread over multiple locations in the city. Her daughter, Maria Castillo Salom, attended private school. Life was […]
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Wherefore art thou Genevieve? She's directing the Tallahassee Homeschool Shakespeare Club
Drywall is piled three feet high in the attic of Emily and Alan Lemmon’s home in Tallahassee. It was placed there a few years ago, intended for walls as the couple finished the top floor. But these days the stack serves a different purpose. Surrounded by white sheets used as backdrops and placed directly under […]
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Taking control of their children's education with the help of the PEP scholarship
Gabriel Lynch III was born five months early and weighed 1.8 ounces when he entered this world fighting for his life. He spent his first three months in an Orlando hospital. When he was just weeks old, he was removed from an incubator and airlifted to a Tampa hospital for heart surgery. By then, Gabriel […]
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E'leese set a goal to graduate high school early and she did ... at age 12
It’s halfway through summer vacation and 12-year-old E’leese Shelton is bored. When you breeze through elementary and middle school and graduate high school before becoming a teenager, learning is your thing. So, the trip earlier this summer to North Carolina was nice. The family visited High Shoals Falls and escaped the Florida Panhandle heat. But, […]
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Of pop art, plate tectonics and a super-strong Minotaur: How PEP allows one family to tailor lessons to their children's interests
Something about the Periodic Table of Elements grabs Conrad Black’s interest. All those chemicals and their atomic numbers. He heard about it, read about it, but didn’t know anything about it. Until this past school year. For his fifth-grade science course, Conrad chose to learn about energy and chemistry – specifically, the Periodic Table. “He […]
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He started a scholarship at his high school to honor a friend and enable future students to have the 'exact experience I’m having'
TAMPA – The night ended with a set of Latin music, one of Victor Peña’s favorites, and everyone inside the theater on the campus of Jesuit High School was standing and moving something – arms, legs, hips. It was the final set of a two-hour concert to raise money for a scholarship to honor Victor, […]
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