Tamia King had always been a strong student. She enrolled at a magnet high school focused on legal studies, made good grades, and seemed to be on her way.

For Christian Arenas, doing the work of high school wasn’t the issue. Getting there was.

Family, friends and educators gathered recently to celebrate the hard work, determination and bright future of the Escambia County Acceleration Academies Class of 2023.

Ja’Lissa Leggett had always been a good student. But in a traditional high school, with its crowded classrooms and busy teachers, she fretted about requesting the help she needed.

When new graduation candidates arrive for orientation at Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies, Jamaal Hickman greets them at the door. “I tell them, ‘I meet you right here and I’m going to be there when you get your high school diploma.’ ”

For Zamaria Farris, there were so many reasons to leave her traditional high school behind: sweaty hallways, teachers who lacked the time to help her, a social life that led her to the shopping mall rather than study hall.

While many students lost ground when the Covid pandemic temporarily shut down schools, Alivia Angelina Erbella Apodaca found her sweet spot studying remotely.

When Devon Linhardt moved to Pensacola with his father, a spell of hard times forced them to live in a van and made Devon uneasy about enrolling at a traditional high school to finish his diploma.

Adrianna Wann and Leilani Brown walked very different paths to Marion County Acceleration Academies, but these besties have something vital in common: a drive to move past adversity into a promising tomorrow.