Meet Anthony

Anthony’s family moved to Florida just to participate in the Florida Scholarship Tax Credit program because his family wanted to find the school that could best serve Anthony, who has Asperger’s syndrome.  Here’s Anthony, in his own words, on his experience of attending the school of his parent’s choice thanks to Florida’s private school choice program:

Before I started going to Liberty Christian Academy, I thought it was normal that kids didn’t accept kids like me, or that all teachers didn’t know just how to deal with someone who was different. I have Asperger’s  syndrome, but I do well in school. Still, I didn’t seem to fit in. I thought, well, that’s as good as it gets. I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like school. I ate alone. My mom didn’t know what to do until she heard about Step Up For Students in Florida. We moved from Ohio to Florida and once I qualified, she applied for the scholarship and I started at Liberty Christian part way into my sophomore year. The kids there are accepting of different people. They even chose me as the vice president of our National Honor Society chapter. It’s a challenge, but I think I’m ready to step up and rise to the occasion. I think I can really be a standout.

—Anthony Hamilton, a Florida Tax Credit Scholarshi recipient and junior at Liberty Christian Academy, Tavares, Fla.

The Florida Scholarship Tax Credit is serving more than 45,000 students this school year.  And earlier, the program was expanded by increasing the cap on donations by $10.25 million, bringing the statewide donation cap to $229 million and expanding eligibility to include students in grades 2-5 without the prior public school attendance requirement.