After Patrick Bell began high school, his parents didn’t encourage him to study hard. Instead, he says, they encouraged him to drop out. “They never really supported me in school. At a very young age, they wanted me drop out of school and support my 11 siblings.”

Some of our most dedicated graduation candidates are not only working hard for their high school diplomas, but also striving to be the best possible mothers to their children. In honor of Mother’s Day Week, we have been profiling some of them on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Instagram...

To meet Marc Orbegozo, you’d think he’s had life figured out for a long, long while. At age 22, he’s an accounting major at Miami-Dade College with plans for rooting out financial corruption as an FBI agent. He’s happily married, self-supporting, a successful young adult.

Each month, we take a moment to learn from the Academy Directors who are bringing the Acceleration Academies mission to life, day in and day out, by asking them to answer a simple prompt. This month, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week by asking the leaders of our academies across the nation...

GC, Kevin Sierra Celebrates with his father, sister and brother.

Alissia Guzman, 18, dropped out of high school when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down her school during her senior year. Her family was homeless and she couldn’t afford a computer to do coursework remotely. But then she found Sarasota Acceleration Academy where, she says, “I felt like I was home.”

Aiden Jensen just turned 16, but he’s got big plans. An outstanding soccer player, he’s being recruited to play in Europe for professional development teams. It’s an exciting prospect, but there’s one thing he needs to achieve first: his American high school diploma.