Student Features and High School High Tech Activities

Jennifer McCans remembers the discussion where she learned about her daughter Kiersten’s visual disability like it was yesterday. “We were told by a doctor when Kiersten was three months old that she had ocular albinism,” she said. “He told us everything that she would not do. I just sat and cried.” But the new mother […]

When a group of students from the High School High Tech program for students with disabilities at Pepin Academies’ New Port Richey campus visited Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) recently, first-year PHSC student Jethiel Morales stepped forward confidently to share his experience at the college and answer their questions. Jethiel, an alumnus of Hillsborough County High […]

From a young age, Leila Burgess was often quiet and afraid to engage with others despite growing up in a dynamic family. Her mother, Michelle, was concerned when she noticed the toddler watching her lips move when she spoke rather than reacting to the sound of her voice. “She was about three or four years […]

When Jackson R. was a toddler, his mother, Karen, could never have imagined he would one day be an honor roll student and member of the golf team at Hilliard High School. At that time, she simply wanted to know why her young son could not talk. “At two and a half, Jackson was not […]

When Erica Carter first met Tyler K. during a meeting to discuss his Individualized Education Program plan, she found the then-ninth grader to be quiet and reluctant to participate. “During that transition meeting, his parents spoke more than he spoke,” said Carter, a student coordinator and math teacher for grades nine through twelve at Morningstar […]

The goal of starting a business in the food industry was not always clear to Gulf County High School High Tech student Zoey Ham. Nor, in fact, was any sort of independent future. Ham was held back two years in elementary school due to struggling with an intellectual disability, and had difficulty communicating with others. […]

After struggling in school while living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, postsecondary education was just about the last thing on Zach Staubitz’s mind as graduation drew closer. “I loved school, but I wasn’t really looking at college when I was a senior,” said Staubitz. “I was like ‘let me just graduate […]

(Editor’s note: This narrative was contributed by Alexandra “Axel” Garcia, a High School High Tech student from Broward County. The following is Axel’s personal story of the impact participating in the High School High Tech program has had on her career goals, aspirations, and self-confidence.) High school was never easy for me. Living with ADHD […]

After crossing the stage at their high school graduation ceremonies, many alumni of the Florida High School High Tech program for students with disabilities either enter the workforce right away or pursue additional education at a college, university, or technical school. Gulf County’s Aden Hortin heard a different calling when he graduated in 2024. “When […]