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, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Home Education, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Ed Choice scholarship helps student-athlete navigate the world of Name, Image, and Likeness
Nov 17, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Education choice scholarship a boon for a military veteran and his family
Nov 10, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Wait until you hear what Bishop Kenny High sophomore Christopher Trinidad is up to now
Oct 21, 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
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Browse More From The Blog
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Home Education, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Ed Choice scholarship helps student-athlete navigate the world of Name, Image, and Likeness
CLEARWATER, Florida – A check recently arrived in the mail for Landon Green, his compensation for the two hours he spent autographing baseball cards of himself one day last summer. He signed 2,000 cards and was paid $1 for each signature. That’s a nice payday for anyone, especially a 17-year-old high school junior who is […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Education choice scholarship a boon for a military veteran and his family
MIRAMAR – William Ivins moved his family to South Florida ahead of his retirement from the United States Marine Corps and enrolled his children at Mother of Our Redeemer Catholic School, hoping they would reap the same rewards as he did from a faith-based education. But, as William and his wife, Claudia, would soon learn, […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Wait until you hear what Bishop Kenny High sophomore Christopher Trinidad is up to now
JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The diagnosis was Entamoeba histolytica, which is an infection caused by ingesting an amoeba that produces fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss, and a few more symptoms you don’t want to have when you are more than 9,000 miles from home. That’s where Christopher Trinidad happened to be during a visit to his […]
Learn MoreStudent 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, […]
Learn MoreStudent 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. […]
Learn MoreMilitary 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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PEP students flock to Sarasota's Fab Lab, where STEAM learning is fueled by their imagination
SARASOTA – Duct taped to the wall of Eliah Hillebrand’s bedroom, next to the light switch, is the engine from one of his remote-controlled cars. Attached to that is a small, arm-like device. Using the remote, the 11-year-old can turn the ceiling light on or off from his bed. “Genius,” said Eliah’s mom, Jennifer. “I […]
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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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