inspirED
Meet our scholars, educators, donors and partners.
Transforming Our Community.
One Scholarship at a Time.
Step Up For Students Scholarships do more than fund education. They change lives. Students thrive in environments that fit their needs. Educators extend their reach to support vulnerable students. Communities grow stronger as educational systems improve.
This is inspireEd. Welcome.
Here, you will get an inside view of that transformation in progress. See what happens when students and their families discover the power of taking control over their academics. Watch as they forge new pathways to a better future. Find inspiration in their determination to achieve their dreams.
These are the stories of Florida students who have renewed hope because they have a school that better fits their needs or educational materials to unlock their potential. They are the stories of a community that has come together to support the belief that educational choice matters. Here, you can be a part of this incredible journey.
This is inspireEd. Welcome.
Here, you will get an inside view of that transformation in progress. See what happens when students and their families discover the power of taking control over their academics. Watch as they forge new pathways to a better future. Find inspiration in their determination to achieve their dreams.
These are the stories of Florida students who have renewed hope because they have a school that better fits their needs or educational materials to unlock their potential. They are the stories of a community that has come together to support the belief that educational choice matters. Here, you can be a part of this incredible journey.
Latest Posts
Student Spotlights, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
'Wild boy' Leon loves Legos, math, cooking, rescuing animals, and swimming with whale sharks
Oct 22, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, 25th anniversary, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, graduate, Scholarship News, School Choice, Step Up For Students
This ed choice scholarship alumni is a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate, a business owner, and a college professor
Oct 21, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
How education choice scholarships meet the needs of one active family
Sep 23, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Meet the Brandt sisters and the story behind their mom's tattoo
Aug 28, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, School Choice, Step Up For Students
A year after her open-heart surgery, Stella is strong, vivacious, and a straight-A student
Aug 18, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Inspired by his parents' sacrifices, Henry is headed to the University of Notre Dame and is reaching for the stars
Jul 21, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
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Browse More From The Blog
Student Spotlights, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
'Wild boy' Leon loves Legos, math, cooking, rescuing animals, and swimming with whale sharks
There are two reasons why Katherine and Spencer Nelson home-educate their son Leon: travel and time. The first is easy. The family has a passion for traveling and the learning that comes with it. The second is personal. “I have a couple of different genetic mutations that, long story short, my life expectancy is not […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, 25th anniversary, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, graduate, Scholarship News, School Choice, Step Up For Students
This ed choice scholarship alumni is a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate, a business owner, and a college professor
Middle school is where Dr. Jasmine Cohen-Young learned to dance. It’s where she fell in love with basketball, a sport that helped pay for college. It’s where she learned that being challenged academically is a good thing and that an improperly tied knot on a sailboat is a bad thing, especially if a loose rope […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
How education choice scholarships meet the needs of one active family
Meet the Genot kids of Bradenton: Kingston, Kenzington, Aurora, and Kohlton. Each with above-average talent in their respective sports – soccer for the boys, gymnastics for Aurora. Each with demanding schedules – school, training, practice. One Florida education choice scholarship managed by Step Up For Students makes it all happen for the family. The Genots […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Meet the Brandt sisters and the story behind their mom's tattoo
EAGLE LAKE, Florida – The tattoo on Elysia Camp’s right bicep catches your eye. It’s hexagons, lines, letters – a chemical compound, though this one includes four flowers. Those seeing it for the first time offer a guess. Caffeine? Adrenaline? No, but nice tries, especially since Elysia was a single mother of three girls and […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, School Choice, Step Up For Students
A year after her open-heart surgery, Stella is strong, vivacious, and a straight-A student
Stella Vallagi is 6, and she loves her French bulldog, Cookie. Her favorite color is orange, and her favorite meal is chicken francese. She loves to color, and paint, and collect shells at the beach. She can dance, too – ballet, jazz, tap. She wears bows in her hair and takes martial arts. If you […]
Learn MoreStudent Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Inspired by his parents' sacrifices, Henry is headed to the University of Notre Dame and is reaching for the stars
TAMPA – Henry Bravo saw his father around campus every day during the four years he attended Jesuit High School. He’d see him in the maintenance building, where his dad, Hector Sr., worked, or the part of the cafeteria reserved for those employed by the school. They’d bump into each other in hallways or walkways. […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Through their books, Max and Gavin want to empower young readers to believe in themselves
Maxwell “Max” Johnson knows something about you. Maybe you know it, too. Maybe not. Either way, Max wants you to know this: You are smart. He’s so sure you are that he wrote a book about it. Published last December, “Let Me Help You … BE SMART: A Kid’s Guide to Confidence, Focus, and Smart […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
PEP scholarship benefits students 'whose needs don’t fit inside the one-size-fits-all system'
Lily Wheeler loves project-based learning, and she loves to draw. She loves phonics lessons that combine the two. Draw a letter and draw an object that matches the letter. One lesson from this past school year stands out to her mother, Erica. Lily, a kindergartener, couldn’t stop looking out the window, and she wouldn’t stop […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Military Family, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
What does America mean to Caleb? Freedom, honor, and a whole lot more
To me, America is more than just a country. It means freedom, liberty, and honor. That’s how Caleb Vergara Scott began the nearly 308-word essay he wrote for a contest celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. The topic: What does America mean to him? He summed it up with his title: America the […]
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Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, graduate, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Here's the pitch: How a Florida educational choice scholarship helped Cam earn a baseball scholarship
Cameron “Cam” Morgan was 4 when he ran around the living room, touching imaginary bases before stepping on an imaginary home plate. At 5, he could recite baseball statistics, especially those of his favorite players on his favorite team – the Baltimore Orioles. Cartoons and Nickelodeon? Nope. ESPN’s SportsCenter and the MLB Network. Coached by […]
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