At a ceremony filled with pomp, circumstance and an extra serving of joy, Sarasota Acceleration Academies (SAA) celebrated its latest class of graduates.

Alyssa Hooper had always been a gifted student, earning good grades in advanced courses and delighting in discussing the fine points of history and other subjects with teachers and classmates alike.

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.

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.

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.

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 Roberto Hilarion and his sister were younger, their parents moved from Cuba to Miami in hopes of building a better life for their children.

Marcus Moore, who rose above poverty as a child to follow his mother’s footsteps into educating the next generation, looked out at the crowd of soon-to-be graduates, eyes expectant and surrounded by beaming family and friends.

Ja’Lissa Leggett had always been a good student. But in a traditional high school, with its crowded classrooms and busy teachers, she fretted about requesting the help she needed.