The recent commencement ceremony for Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA) turned out to be very much a family affair.

Bryanna Olalde is a Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy OG, one of the first students to enroll at the academy when it opened in the fall of 2023.

Bethel Acceleration Academies celebrated its most recent class of graduates, young learners who pushed through adversity to write a new chapter for their adult lives.

Two years ago, Mako Velez had given up hope of earning a high school diploma and was prepared to settle for a GED. But one night when she and her family sat down for dinner, the phone rang.

For Dylan Pettigrew, a traditional high school simply did not work. “It was just really overcrowded and they could not help you with personalized learning.”

When Canaan Piercy’s mom was fighting breast cancer during his freshman year of high school, he didn’t have to think twice about his priorities.

It wasn’t easy for Chad Dawson to make it through high school. Raised in an isolated evangelical community in Alabama, he escaped to Florida as a high school junior only to be told by school officials that he had the academic skills of a 5th grader.

A joyful group of family members, friends and educators gathered to celebrate the latest class of graduates from Escambia County Acceleration Academies (ECAA).

Amya Marston found the best way to celebrate her 18th birthday — by joining the Class of 2024. Amya says she couldn’t have done it without St. Lucie Acceleration Academies (SLAA).