At her old high school in Belleview, Florida, Talea Washington got tired of less-serious students getting in the way of her goals. While Talea wanted to buckle down and learn, too many of her classmates were goofing off — to the point where teachers would sometimes just cancel the class.

Kaden Gulley is the oldest of three brothers and he wants to set a good example. “It would send a message for them to do well in school,” he says. “I’m a role model for them.”

When he was 14, Fedson Delcis got in serious trouble and ended up behind bars. While his peers enjoyed high school life — classes, homework, sports and socializing — in the years that followed, Fedson was trying to keep his head above water in the harsh environment of jail.

Austin Bernardo didn’t want to settle for his GED. So when the Washington State skies opened and poured down rain on his walk to Bethel Acceleration Academies (BAA), he would just keep on walking.

With a warehouse job that required him to be at work during the school day, going to a traditional school was out of the question for Tyler Massotti. He tried online high school but found it to be a lonely and dispiriting experience.

For Nathan Ricca, the road to finding the right high school was long and winding. He began in a traditional high school but felt overwhelmed by the crowded hallways and packed classrooms. He tried military school but didn’t thrive in the regimented learning environment.

Family, friends and educators gathered to celebrate the graduation of the latest group of grads from Acceleration Academies of Ector County. The day brought laughter, cheers and more than a few happy tears as young people claimed the diplomas they might once have thought out of reach.

If they could find a job at all, most 15-year-olds would use the cash to buy snacks, video games or tickets to a concert — or maybe save toward their first car.

When many young learners arrive at Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies (GCAA), they find a school leader who knows their challenges first-hand.