On the cap she wore to celebrate her recent graduation from Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA), Daniela Arbelaez emblazoned this message: “The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow.”

At her old high school, the crowded classrooms and bright lights felt overwhelming to Ellerie Hamner. And because she has epilepsy, having to get up early each morning to begin a traditional school day jarred her system in a way that sometimes caused petit mal seizures.

At Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy, the learning opportunities extend beyond reading, writing and arithmetic — all the way into the future college and career paths of students, also known as graduation candidates, working hard to earn their high school diplomas.

For each of the 16 graduates celebrated at the most recent Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies (GCAA) commencement, the day represented not an ordinary step in their life journey but instead an extraordinary triumph of their determination.

When Alexiann Edwards moved to Florida from her native Jamaica early in 2023, she wanted to complete her high school career at a different kind of school.

Lowcountry Acceleration Academy (LAA) celebrated its newest class of graduates at a ceremony honoring the way each of the 34 young learners had pushed through challenges to earn a high school diploma many might have thought out of reach.

More than 300 people filled an auditorium recently to celebrate the newest class of graduates from Escambia County Acceleration Academies (ECAA) in Pensacola, Florida. ECAA Director Mat Taylor congratulated the Class of 2023 for their determination and urged them to build on their early success.

Shamyiah Lewis is a strong student, but moving to a new city at the beginning of her senior year nearly derailed her plans to earn a high diploma and go on to study filmmaking in college.

To celebrate National Computer Science Week, graduation candidates at Acceleration Academies across the nation spent a day exploring skills that could change the course of their lives.