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.

Eliane Hernandez knows what it’s like to work hard for your dreams. When she immigrated to the United States 15 years ago, the Cuban-born math instructor went from teaching university students at home to cleaning offices at night while she learned a new language in a new land.

These stories of surviving, of thriving amidst untold obstacles, remind me that what we are doing here is deeply human. The spreadsheets help us track progress, identify trends, but it’s the conversations that fill in the gaps and fill out the stories.

The path to graduation wasn’t easy, or fast, for Thelma Gomes. But she was determined to see it through and claim her high school diploma.