July 25, 2024 | Jeffrey Good
For Briseyda Valdez-Alonso, the last chapter of high school was anything but carefree. One of her cousins got in a terrible car crash and landed in a coma. Another cousin, a baby, died. Heartbroken at home, Briseyda felt unmotivated to show up for classes at her former high school.
When she did, she felt alone. “Most public schools think whatever happens at home stays at home; ‘You can’t bring that here,’ ” says Briseyda. “But it’s not something I could take off like a bag and leave at home.”
She considered dropping out, but then remembered why her parents had moved from Mexico to Florida to raise their children: to give them the opportunity for a better life. Briseyda knew her opportunity began with education, so she decided to give herself a second chance.
At Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA) in Fort Myers, she found the perfect blend of academic rigor and personal support. “Here, you bring something and they’ll help you with the burden,” she says. “When it comes to mental health, they actually care.”
Instead of having to navigate crowded hallways and hope for a moment of attention from overworked teachers, Briseyda found a calm and welcoming environment at LCAA.
“Even if you finish a simple test, they give you a high five. They give you praise,” she says of LCAA’s team of teachers, counselors and advocates. “It makes you want to work harder.”
No longer did she have to struggle to get someone’s attention. “Here, you have teachers literally everywhere,” she says. “If you need help, all you need to do is ask for it.”
That support extends beyond the academic, to helping Briseyda and her classmates build self-confidence and overcome the obstacles — academic and personal — standing in the way.
She cited in particular graduation candidate advocate Jonathan Pauyo. “Mr. Jon made me realize that I could achieve so much more than I thought, that I was worth something. He would inspire me to be the best person I can, not just inside of school but outside.”
The positive spirit shone through in the way students interacted with one another. Instead of back-stabbing and petty rivalries, she found a spirit of acceptance and cooperation.
“Everybody knows each other. Everybody respects each other. There’s no drama,” she says. “Here, you face problems head-on.”
Briseyda’s older brother dropped out of high school, and her parents worried that she might follow. When she found LCAA and began to thrive, they were overjoyed. At last, her dreams of advancing her education to become an esthetician and, eventually, an ultrasound technician seemed within reach.
When Briseyda recently celebrated her graduation and membership in the Class of 2024, her parents and a huge group of other relatives were there to cheer her on.
“My parents fought to get me here so I could walk across that stage,” said Briseyda, adorned in flowers and smiling broadly. “Handing my diploma to them, I wasn’t just doing it for me. I was doing it for them — this is what they came here for.”
Click here for an album of photos of Briseyda and other members of the June 2024 graduation class of Lee County Acceleration Academies. Photos by Daniel Wagner.
