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.

Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA) celebrated its first group of graduates recently, as young men and women who might have otherwise given up on high school received the diplomas they had worked so hard to earn.

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.

Selena Farlow and Jesus Ortiz didn’t plan on becoming parents as high school seniors. But once it became clear that they would, they needed a school where they could not only earn their diplomas but also take good care of their baby boy, Damian.

Just two short years ago, Lowcountry Acceleration Academy alumna Carolina Dominguez Lopez wasn’t sure she’d ever finish high school. Mired in depression, overwhelmed by the crowded classrooms and harsh social dynamic of her old high school, she felt little but despair.

At his old school, Christian Gentele was a standout football player and popular kid. But an excess of extracurriculars and a lack of discipline in his coursework made him fall further and further behind.

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.

For Zamaria Farris, there were so many reasons to leave her traditional high school behind: sweaty hallways, teachers who lacked the time to help her, a social life that led her to the shopping mall rather than study hall.

While many students lost ground when the Covid pandemic temporarily shut down schools, Alivia Angelina Erbella Apodaca found her sweet spot studying remotely.